Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2002, 197 (4)

Case Report

Endoscopic Sinus Surgery in Cases of Cholesterol Granuloma
of the Maxillary Sinus

TOSHIHIKO KIKUCHI,^1,2 EIGO SO,² KOTARO ISHIMARU,² YUKA MIYABE,²
KUNIKO ABE³ and TOSHIMITSU KOBAYASHI¹

¹Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai 980-8574,
²Department of Otolaryngology, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Nagasaki 852-8501, and
³Department of Pathology, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Nagasaki 852-8501

Cholesterol granuloma is usually associated with middle ear disease and is very rare in the paranasal sinuses. We report a case of cholesterol granuloma originating in the maxillary sinus of a 52-year-old female. Endoscopic sinus surgery was performed on the left maxillary sinus, and the cholesterol granuloma was successfully removed by the middle meatal antrostomy. Light microscopic examination showed granulomatous tissue with typical cholesterol clefts, multinucleated foreign body giant cells, small areas of hemorrhage, hemosiderin-laden macrophages and plasma cells. We also describe the details of the endoscopic surgical techniques employed in the treatment of this disorder.

Keywords —— paranasal sinuses; cholesterol granuloma; pathology; endoscopic treatment; middle meatal antrostomy

© 2002 Tohoku University Medical Press

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Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2002, 197, 233-237

Address for reprints: Toshihiko Kikuchi, Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8574, Japan.

e-mail: toshi@orl.med.tohoku.ac.jp