Inferior Turbinate Osteoma - Rare Cause of Nasal Obstruction in a 19 Year Old Patient

Inferior Turbinate Osteoma - Rare Cause of Nasal Obstruction in a 19 Year Old Patient

Osteomas are the most common benign lesions of the paranasal sinus, but occurrence in the nasal cavity is very rare. Usually they remain asymptomatic for years and are found as a coincidental finding during routine radiological investigations. As they grow they can become symptomatic and may completely obstruct the nasal cavity. Endoscopic sinus surgery is a safe procedure in this cases and osteomas show little tendency to recur. The authors report the case of a 19 year old male who presented with 3-year history of snoring and progressive leftsided nasal obstruction associated with an ipsilateral facial pain. Anterior rhinoscopy showed an enlarged left inferior turbinate, which was bony hard on palpation. The computed tomography study confirmed a bony-dense enlargement of the left inferior turbinate, almost completely occluding the nasal airway, associated with a right nasal septum deviation. We performed an endoscopic surgery under general anesthesia and the mass was removed completely. Histologic examination showed benign ivory osteoma. One year post-operatively the patient is free of disease and asymptomatic. We report this case of inferior turbinate osteoma for its rarity. To our knowledge only 15 cases of turbinate osteomas have been reported in literature worldwide.