Chondroma of the skull base and maxilla

Abstract

Chondromas are uncommon benign tumors of cartilaginous origin. Although chonodroma of the jaw is extremely rare, the commonly involved are the anterior portion of the maxilla, condyle and coronoid process. A chondroma is a painless, slow growing tumor causing destruction and exfoliation of teeth. On a radiograph, the tumor appears as a cyst-like radiolucent lesion, while some are sclerotic. The borders are usually ill-defined. Irregular calcifications may be seen with radiolucencies and then it is an osteochondroma. We present a patient with a resected and histologically proven chondroma of the skull base and maxilla. A 65-year-old female was admitted to our clinic with swelling and breathing difficulties. MRI showed a large soft tissue mass of the skull base and maxilla. Clinicopathological and radiological features were examined by computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Chondromyxoid fibroma (CMF) is a rare, benign cartilaginous tumor that often occurs in the metaphyses of proximal tibia, proximal and distal femur and small bones of the foot. The differential diagnosis is wide and includes simple or aneyrismal bone cyst, giant cell tumor, nonossifying fibroma, fibrous dysplasia, enchondroma, chondroblastoma, eosinophilic granuloma and fibrous cortical defect. Our case demonstrates an uncommon occurrence in the maxillary sinus: CMF with nasal, pterygoid and orbital infiltration. In the diagnosis of an intracranial chondrocytic tumor, it is important to distinguish it from enchondroma and chondrosarcoma. MR provides a detailed assessment of soft tissue masses of the craniofacial region, while CT offers superior analysis of bone structure involvement. The present case underlines the importance of MR examination in the diagnosis of soft tissue masses in the craniofacial region.