Endoscopic approach to juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma: our experience at a tertiary care centre

To evaluate the efficacy of endoscopic exposure and excision for juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma.

Prospective analysis of the outcomes of endoscopic removal of the angiofibroma at a tertiary care centre, using endoscopic and radiological parameters.

Twenty-eight consecutive patients with angiofibroma were included. These patients underwent endonasal endoscopic excision of the lesion, following pre-operative computed tomography and digital subtraction angiography. Post-operative endoscopy and radiology were performed at six weeks to detect any residual lesion, and thereafter at six-monthly intervals to detect recurrence.

Twenty-one patients (75 per cent) were new cases and seven patients (25 per cent) had recurrent tumour. Pre-operative embolisation was performed in 21 patients (75 per cent). An endoscopic endonasal approach was used to access the pterygopalatine fossa. The average blood loss was 228 ml. Residual lesion was noted in one patient (initially with recurrent stage II C pathology). The remaining 27 patients (initially with stage I, II A and II B pathology) were free of residual pathology or recurrence after a minimum follow-up period of 12 months.

Endoscopic exposure and excision of angiofibroma was found to be effective.