Clinical implications, diagnosis, and treatment of a giant frontoethmoid osteoma

Osteomas are benign, asymptomatic fibro-osseous tumors that are most commonly observed in the paranasal sinuses and sometimes are found in imaging examinations that were taken for other reasons. Giant osteomas are rarely found in the frontal and ethmoid sinuses but, when they are, they may cause intracranial and orbital complications. The aims of this case report are to describe a frontoethmoid osteoma in a 40-year-old woman, discuss the characteristics of this lesion through cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging, and review the options for treatment. A CBCT examination performed for the purpose of orthodontic diagnosis revealed the presence of a large, well-defined, lobular, hyperdense mass that occupied a sizeable area of the frontal sinus and extended to the ethmoid sinus. The patient did not report any pain. Based on the physical and imaging characteristics of the mass, the location and size of the lesion, and the patient's age, the diagnosis was a giant frontoethmoid osteoma. Due to its enhanced field of view, CBCT may enable earlier diagnosis of lesions that affect the maxillofacial region.