A Case of Pseudotumor of the Maxillary Sinus

Hong, Nam Pyo; Jin, Young Wan; Shin, Sang Seung; Ahn, Hwoe Young

Abstract

Pseudotumor is a term used to describe a space occupying inflammatory lesion which mimics a true neoplastic process in its clinical presentation and radiologic findings. Its occurrence in the maxillary sinus is rare. The etiology and pathophysiology of the maxillary pseudotumor is unknown. A large and longstanding pseudotumor may induce the erosion or destruction of the maxillary bone wall. Therefore it may be difficult to distinguish such a lesion from a malignant tumor, specific granulomatous disease (e.g. tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, Wegener's granulomatosis) and fungal sinusitis preoperatively. A diagnosis of maxillary pseudotumor must be based on histological evidence to exclude other disease. We report a case of a 49-year-old patient with left maxillary pseudotumor that simulated an aggressive neoplasm in its clinical presentation and radiologic findings.