A Case of Extranasopharyngeal Angiofibroma Arising from the Inferior Turbinate Removed without Pre-Operative Embolization

ABSTRACT

The angiofibroma is a highly vascular and histologically benign neoplasm that usually arises in the nasopharyx in adolescent male patients. It accounts for less than 0.5% of all head and neck neoplasm. Reports of primary extra-nasopharyngeal angiofibroma have appeared sporadically in the literature. The inferior turbinate is a very rare site of extra-nasopharyngeal angiofibroma, with only 5 cases reported in the medical literature. Also, the value of embolization in surgery for extra-nasopharyngeal angiofibroma is a controversial matter. We report a case of extra-nasopharyngeal angiofibroma arising from the inferior turbinate of a 37-year-old male. The tumor was completely removed through endonasal, endoscopic technique without pre-operative embolization. Histopathology confirmed it to be a case of angiofibroma. The patient is currently free of relapse 6 months after surgery. Endoscopic resection is a feasible and safe method for angiofibroma surgery. The current evidence does not support obligatory embolization in every case of endoscopic angiofibroma resection.