Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma. A report of eighteen cases

Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma is a disease afflicting mainly adolescent males. The lesion is benign but characterized by local aggressive growth. In advanced cases the tumour may extend intracranially. In this study 18 cases of juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma were investigated. Tumour extension was assessed with the use of angiograms and CT and the individual cases staged in four different categories on the basis of tumour extension. Two cases were staged as I (tumour confined to the nasopharynx), 7 cases as II (tumour extending into nasal cavity and/or sphenoid sinus), 8 as III (tumour extending into one or more of the following: antrum, ethmoid sinus, pterygomaxillary and infratemporal fossae, orbit and/or cheek) and one as IV (tumour extending into the cranial cavity). Preoperative arterial embolization was performed in 8 cases. All patients underwent surgery; none received irradiation. The follow-up period was 6 yrs 4 mo (6 months-17 years). In one case of intracranial extension, tumour recurrence occurred. It is concluded that with the aid of CT and arteriograms to evaluate the extension of the tumour and preoperative embolization, this lesion can be cured in the vast majority of cases, with surgery as the method of choice.