Endoscopic treatment of benign tumors of the nose and paranasal sinuses

The endoscopic approach can be successfully employed for the treatment of benign tumors such as fibroosseus and vascular lesions, pleomorphic adenomas, gliomas, and schwannomas. Nineteen patients diagnosed with benign tumors of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses and treated using an endoscopic approach were retrospectively reviewed. The endoscopic approach was used exclusively in 15 cases and was associated with an external approach in 4 cases (due to an intracranial extension of the tumor in 3 patients and its location at the level of the anterior wall of the frontal sinus in the last case). The resection of the lesions was radical in 18 patients and subtotal in 1 case. The mean follow-up was 27 months and only 1 recurrence (5%) was observed in the juvenile angiofibroma group 20 months postoperatively. In selected cases, endoscopic surgery can be considered an effective treatment for the resection of benign tumors involving the sinonasal tract.