Inverted papilloma of the nose and paranasal sinuses: a study of 67 patients

Retrospectively, 67 patients with inverted nasal papillomas were studied. In 12, the lesions were localized exclusively on the nasal septum. In 55, the lesion involved the lateral wall and/or the paranasal sinuses. There was a male predominance of 3:1. After histological revision the most dominating epithelial type was found to be transitional. Inverted papilloma was in one patient associated with squamous cell carcinoma. Ten per cent suffered recurrences from 6 to 37 months after the primary surgical procedure. We found that limited septal lesions could be managed by an intranasal procedure but lateral rhinotomy is recommended as the procedure of choice in the treatment of inverted papilloma of the lateral wall.