Synovial sarcoma: a rare presentation of parapharyngeal mass.

Synovial sarcoma is a rare soft tissue sarcoma of the head and neck region involving the parapharyngeal space. The diagnosis of synovial sarcoma can be very challenging to the pathologists. We present a rare case of parapharyngeal synovial sarcoma in a young female patient who had a two-month history of left cervical intumescent mass at level II. The fine needle aspiration cytology of the mass was proved inconclusive. Transcervical excision of the mass was performed and the first case of parapharyngeal sarcoma was identified in our center by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique. Repeat imaging revealed residual tumor. The patient successfully underwent a second excision of the residual tumor and received adjuvant radiotherapy.

Bilateral middle ear cholesterol granuloma in familial hypercholesterolemia.

Cholesterol granuloma (CG) is a histologic description of foreign body giant cell formation toward cholesterol crystals. The majority of temporal bone CG is unilateral and most common in the petrous apex. Middle ear CG is usually the result of underlying ear diseases. Primary middle ear CG is very rare. Most reported CG has not been associated with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). FH, an autosomal dominant disorder, manifests as high levels of serum cholesterol and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. We report a rare case of FH and bilateral aggressive primary middle ear CG. This publication has been approved by the IRB, Hospital Alor Setar.