Inverted papilloma: incidence and late results of surgical treatment

The 452,000 inhabitants of the County of Funen are considered to constitute a representative section of the population of Denmark. The county is geographically well-defined, surrounded by sea. Specimens from the two Departments of Pathology in the county have been histologically reviewed. Our incidence material consists of 96 patients suffering from inverted papillomas, during a 14-year period, which corresponds to 1.5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants per year. During the same 14-year period, 67 patients have been operated upon at the ENT Department of Odense University Hospital. In 1992, a clinical re-examination was performed regarding late surgical results. Fourteen per cent (9/67) have developed recurrences from 6 to 56 months after the first operation. No major late surgical complications have been observed. It is our experience that lesions limited to the nasal septum and minor lesions on the lateral nasal wall can be treated primarily by an intranasal procedure. Large lesions on the lateral wall with best results have been treated by lateral rhinotomy.