Leontiasis ossea

Leontiasis ossea, also known as leontiasis, lion face or lion face syndrome, is a rare medical condition marked by overgrowth of the bones of the face and skull. It is not a disease in itself but a sign of other diseases, among them Paget's disease, fibrous dysplasia, hyperparathyroidism and renal osteodystrophy. In the more common form one maxilla enlarges progressively and encroaches on the orbit, the mouth and the nasal cavity and sinuses; the eye is pushed forward and sight can be lost through pressure on the optic nerve, and breathing and eating may be impaired. In a less common form all the cranial bones are affected, the senses fail one by one, and death can follow from pressure on the brain. The source lead records that the only treatment was to expose the overgrown bone and chip it away or excise it where possible. This record is historical and descriptive, not medical advice.