Organized Hematoma: An Analysis of 84 Cases with Emphasis on Difficult Prediction and Favorable Management

To characterize features of organized hematoma (OH) that may cause considerable diagnostic difficulties.

Case series with chart review.

Tertiary medical center.

Eighty-four patients with pathologically confirmed OH over a 10-year period were retrospectively reviewed for clinical features, imaging findings, pathologic characteristics, and treatment modalities.

This study included 39 males and 45 females who presented with frequent epistaxis and nasal obstruction. There were 62 (74%) patients >40 years old (mean, 50; range, 9-81). OH mainly originated in the maxillary sinus (n = 82) or nasal cavity (n = 2) unilaterally, and most were expansile masses (n = 73) that extended into nasal cavity (n = 71) or choanae (n = 17). Several lesions were locally aggressive and simulated a malignant process that involved the ethmoid sinus (n = 22), orbit (n = 11), pterygopalatine fossa (n = 16), infratemporal fossa (n = 9), cheek (n = 3), and hard palate (n = 3). Internal architecture on computed tomography (CT) scans showed OH with expansile remodeling of the maxillary wall (82.1%) and smooth bony destruction (70.2%), whereas T2-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images showed inhomogeneity with a notable hypointense peripheral rim in all lesions. CT and MR contrast-enhanced images revealed patchy heterogeneous enhancement that could be interpreted according to histopathologic findings of hemorrhage and neovascularization. OH was successfully removed with endoscopic surgery, although 5 cases recurred.

OH can be successfully treated by endoscopic surgery. CT and MR examination provide characteristic findings for prediction and careful surgical planning.