Central Giant Cell Granuloma: A Narrative Review of Radiological Features and Differential Diagnosis

Abstract

The Central Giant Cell Granuloma is an uncommon lesion, accounting less than 7% of all benign jaw lesions. In 1953, Jaffe was the first to describe these lesions as a giant cell reparative granuloma of the jaw bones, and in 1971, thanks to Pindborg and Kramer, it was included in the current nomenclature. The aetiology of CGCG is unknown, there is also a peripheral type that some authors consider the most common in maxillary bones. WHO defines CGCG as an intraosseous lesion consisting of cellular fibrous tissue that contains multiple foci of hemorrhage, aggregations of multinucleated giant cells, and some trabeculae of woven bone. The radiographic appearance of CGCGs is not pathognomonic. CGCGs should be differentiated from other lesions of the jaws such as Brown’s tumour of hyperparathyroidism, fibrous dysplasia, aneurysmal bone cysts, giant cell tumours, fibro-osseous lesions, and other malignancies that arise in the jaw bones. Furthermore, it needs to be differentiated even from some genetic syndromes, such as Cherubism, type 1-neurofibromatosis and Noonan’s syndrome. The aim of this study is to focus on radiographic features of CGCG in order to achieve an appropriate tool for diagnosis.