Epidermoids of the paranasal sinuses and beyond: endoscopic management

Epidermoid tumors of the craniofacial skeleton are uncommon, with the exception of acquired cholesteatoma of the temporal bone. These lesions may be primary embryologic in origin or, less frequently, may be iatrogenic or posttraumatic.

We report three cases of unusually encountered epidermoids, all of which were managed by endoscopic marsupialization via paranasal sinus approaches. We also review the pathophysiology and clinical presentation of these rare entities.

The first patient is a 60-year-old man with a congenital epidermoid of the petrous apex removed via an endoscopic transsphenoid approach assisted by image-guided surgical navigation with CT/MRA merge. The second case is a 48-year-old woman with a history of trauma found to have a mass in the pterygopalatine space. An endoscopic transmaxillary approach was used to ligate the internal maxillary artery and marsupialize the cyst into the maxillary sinus. The third patient is a 22-year-old woman with a supraorbital ethmoid epidermoid tumor discovered intraoperatively during surgery for a presumed mucocele. This patient also had a known history of trauma. The cyst was marsupialized into the adjacent frontal sinus. Image-guided surgical navigation using CT was performed in the latter two cases. All patients are free of recurrence with follow-up ranging from 14 to 26 months.

With advancements in endoscopic techniques, including the use of image guidance, many of these relatively uncommon lesions can be managed by minimally invasive approaches via the paranasal sinuses.