Until recently, the principal treatment has been resection or fracture repair, although the latter is often palliative at best. However, new insight into the molecular
mechanism of fibrous dysplasia has led to the use of bisphosphonates to treat this disease. The authors examined the effects of high-dose oral alendronate (40 mg daily) for 6 months on 3 adult patients with intractable headache due to fibrous dysplasia of the skull. Each patient had disease processes not amenable to surgery.