Chronic multifocal symmetrical osteomyelitis. Report of two cases in Bedouin infants.

Chronic multifocal symmetrical osteomyelitis is a rare condition characterized clinically and radiologically by multiple symmetrical bone lesions, a benign course, and a good prognosis. To our knowledge, only 25 cases have been reported in the literature; all of them occurred in patients of European ancestry. We describe two bedouin children, aged 20 and 21 months, who suffered from this disease. Although they complained of one painful joint, multiple osteolytic lesions were found in the long bones. At follow-up six months later, the children were in perfect condition without radiologic sequelae.