[Endoscopic resection of juvenile nasopharyngeal fibromas]

Current surgical approaches to juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibromas (JNA) are exclusively external. This implies not only incisions that are mostly visible, but also a potential loss of function as well as secondary lesions and high perioperative risks. Radiotherapy aims to avoid surgery, but cannot exclude complications and possible sequelae. These consequences are commonly accepted as the "costs" for both therapies, although neither is negligible. For both surgery and radiotherapy, recurrences or persistence rates have been described, so that outcome may result in questions for the treatment used as well as the complications or sequelae. We report our experiences with two cases of JNA operated on under endoscopic control and discuss our indications for the endoscopic approach to these tumors, preoperative conditions, surgical technique, and the possible difficulties of surgery and outcome. Our results encourage us to recommend use of endoscopic surgery as a valid alternative method to approach resections of certain JNA.