Pterygopalatine Fossa Angioleiomyoma: An Atypical, Locally Destructive Presentation of a Rare Pathology.

Abstract

Sinonasal angioleiomyomas (SNALMs) are rare, typically indolent tumors that present as painless, slow-growing nasal masses arising from the nasal septum, inferior turbinate, or nasal vestibule with minimal local invasion. We present a case of a 39 year-old man with no relevant past medical history with a uniquely aggressive case of a SNALM originating in the pterygopalatine fossa (PPF) with expansile erosion of adjacent skull base structures-an unusual radiographic feature for a tumor classically considered nondestructive. Clinically, the patient's presentation with severe ipsilateral posterolateral headaches and rapid-onset nasal obstruction further deviates from the expected course, highlighting an atypical symptom profile not previously associated with SNALMs. Surgical excision of the mass was curative with resolution of headaches and no tumor recurrence at 7 months of follow-up. This case expands the current understanding of the clinical and radiographic spectrum of SNALMs and reinforces the importance of considering them in the differential diagnosis of vascular skull base lesions.