Nasopharyngeal angiofibroma

Embolization of vascular tumors of the head and neck

Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibromas and paragangliomas are the most common hypervascular tumors of the head and neck that require embolization as an adjunct to surgery. A detailed understanding of the functional vascular anatomy of the external carotid artery is necessary for safe and effective endovascular therapy. Embolization, using a transarterial technique and particulate agents, a direct puncture technique and liquid embolic agents, or both techniques may allow for complete devascularization of hypervascular tumors of the head and neck. Effective embolization of these tumors results in a significant reduction of blood loss during surgery and allows for complete resection of the tumors. Use of meticulous technique and a thorough knowledge of functional anatomy of the head and neck vasculature are essential.

Angiofibroma: an outcome review of conventional surgical approaches

Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (JNA) is a benign tumor of the nasopharynx, and for its treatment, many surgical approaches have been recommended. However, selecting the appropriate one for the tumor in an advanced stage is still controversial. In this study, we evaluate the rate of recurrence of JNA and its relationship to the preoperative stage as well as various surgical approaches. Thirty-seven patients with pathologically proven JNA were retrospectively analyzed. For each patient, data were obtained regarding the primary extension, various surgical approaches and rate of recurrence. Seven patients were in stage III with intracranial extensions. Two of these patients had symptomatic recurrence that needed surgery. Three of them were disease free, and in two cases residues were demonstrated that were asymptomatic and were chosen only to be observed. Among different surgical approaches used, the transpalatal resulted in 1 recurrence out of 14 patients treated with this approach when the lesion was limited to the nasal cavity, nasopharynx and paranasal sinuses (stage I). No recurrence was observed with the use of this approach with lesions with minimal extension to the pterygopalatine fossa (stage IIA). But among three patients with intracranial extension who were treated with this approach, two resulted in symptomatic recurrence; however, using the Lefort I surgical technique, no evidence of recurrence was observed in the two patients in stage III who were treated with this approach. Involvement of the orbit, middle cranial fossa and base of the pterygoid by the primary JNA results in a higher incident of recurrent tumor. Among different surgical techniques, the lowest recurrence rate is seen either in the transpalatal approach when the tumor is limited to the nasopharynx with extension to the nasal cavity or paranasal sinuses or with the Lefort I approach when skull base invasion is present.

Anterior approaches in juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibromas with intracranial extension

Although surgery is regarded as the mainstay of treatment for juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibromas (JNAs), ancillary treatment modalities such as radiotherapy and on rare occasions chemotherapy are still recommended by many for intracranial extension with apparent radiologic involvement of the cavernous sinus and internal carotid artery. Further, most authors undertaking surgical excision of this subgroup of patients would recommend a lateral or combined frontal and lateral approach for its removal. In a series of 49 cases of JNA, 14 were found during surgery to have intracranial extradural extension; the anterior approach was used for their removal. Although in these cases, on radiography the cavernous sinus often looked to be invaded and the internal carotid artery was displaced superolaterally, there was no difficulty in establishing a plane of dissection. Total removal was achieved in 11 of the 14 cases with a single-stage procedure. Of the 3 cases with residual tumor, only 1 occurred intracranially. Removal was achieved by a subtemporal approach in this case. For the extracranial residual tumors 1 required a midface degloving and the other, with a 1-cm residual tumor in the nasopharynx, has been treated conservatively for 6 years with no evidence of growth. No deaths or significant complications have occurred, and radiotherapy has not been required. We conclude that JNAs are tumors with a predilection for spread but that rarely invade dura, acting instead to displace it. We believe that surgery is the method of choice for treating these lesions and that an anterior surgical approach with microsurgical techniques should be used in the first instance. In the last 2 cases we preferred a midface degloving technique to avoid facial scarring and because this approach allows a widening of the surgical field if needed by the performance of bilateral maxillary free bone flaps. On the rare occasion that a lateral approach, with its attendant permanent conductive hearing loss, is found to be necessary for total tumor removal, this can be done as a staged procedure. This may be necessary when the tumor has spread lateral to the horizontal internal carotid artery.