Sinonasal (Schneiderian) Papilloma

Abstract

Schneiderian papilloma of the paranasal sinuses is a locally aggressive benign epithelial tumour with malignant potential.A retrospective analysis of 72 patients as seen at our institution from 1978 to 1997 was conducted.The most frequent symptoms at time of presentation were nasal obstruction, presence of a nasal mass, and nasal discharge. The most common sites of involvement were the maxillary antrum (58.3%), lateral nasal wall (41.7%) and ethmoid sinus (37.5%). Histologic examination confirmed all 72 instances of schneiderian papilloma, with 55/72 (76.4%) being of the inverted type, 13/72 (18.1%) being the fungiform type, and 4/72 (5.5%) being the cylindrical type. An associated malignancy or potential premalignant condition was present in 15 patients (20.8%), with 8 (11.1%) exhibiting dysplastic changes, 4 patients (5.5%) found to have carcinoma in situ, and 3 patients (4.2%) found to have invasive carcinoma. Conservative surgical excision was performed in 37 (51.4%) with more radical surgery, including lateral rhinotomy and medial maxillectomy performed in 35 (48.6%) patients. Recurrence was seen in 17/37 (45.9%) patients treated conservatively compared to 0/35 (0.0%) patients treated aggressively.Our results indicate that more aggressive surgery is associated with a more definitive treatment and significantly less recurrence and, as such, is the management of choice in cases of schneiderian papilloma. Furthermore, our results indicate the need for long-term follow-up, and the applicability of sinus endoscopy in doing so.