Histopathological Study of Lesions of the Nasal Cavity, Paranasal Sinuses and Nasopharynx in a Tertiary Care Centre, Visakhapatnam over a Period of 2 Years

Abstract

BACKGROUND A variety of non - neoplastic and neoplastic conditions involve the nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses and nasopharynx and these are very common lesions encountered in clinical practice. Histopathological examination of these lesions is the gold standard for diagnosis because management and prognosis vary among different lesions. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the histopathological study of the lesions of the nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses and nasopharynx in relation to their incidence, age, gender and site wise distribution and to compare the results with the available data. METHODS A study of 88 cases was conducted for a period of 2 years from August 2017 to July 2019. After fixation, Processing and Haematoxylin and Eosin staining and special stains histopathological diagnosis was made. RESULTS Among 88 total cases, 58 were males and 30 were females. A male predominance was observed with a male to female ratio of 1.93 : 1. They were more common in third, fourth and fifth decade of life. Malignant nasal lesions were seen after fourth decade of life. Nasal lesions were more common in nasal cavity (67.05 %), followed by paranasal sinuses (18.18 %) and nasopharynx (14.75). Out of 88 total cases, 39 (44.32 %) were non - neoplastic, 30 (34.09 %) were benign and 19 (21.59 %) were malignant nasal lesions. CONCLUSIONS Sinonasal lesions and nasopharyngeal lesions can have various differential diagnoses. A complete clinical, radiological and histopathological correlation helps to categorize these sinonasal lesions into various non - neoplastic and neoplastic types. But histopathological examination remains the mainstay of definitive diagnosis. KEYWORDS Nasal Cavity, Paranasal Sinuses, Nasopharynx, Benign Tumours, Malignant Tumours, Histopathological Examination