Inverting papilloma of the nose and paranasal sinuses

A series of 30 patients with inverted papillomas of the nose and/or the paranasal sinuses is presented. The inverted papilloma is a rare tumor with an overall incidence varying from 0.5% to 4% of all primary nasal tumors. The incidence of inverted papilloma is much more common in the fifth to seventh decades. An association between inverted papilloma and carcinoma is well established. In the large series of patients, the incidence of malignancy associated with inverted papilloma ranges from 1% to 13%, and in our series 10%. Treatment of inverted papilloma is always surgical. The incidence of recurrence is directly related to the method of surgical treatment. Among our 20 patients who were treated by limited surgery, there was recurrence in 14 cases (70%). By contrast, medial maxillectomy and ethmoidectomy via lateral rhinotomy reduced the recurrence rate dramatically. In our opinion this approach is the surgery of choice in the treatment of inverted papilloma.