Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2008 Dec;28(6):306-8.

Isolated sinonasal sarcoidosis with intracranial extension: case report

O Y Dessouky  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Isolated sinonasal sarcoidosis with intracranial extension: case report

O Y Dessouky. Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital. 2008 Dec.

Abstract
in English, Italian

The case is presented of a 20-year-old female who was incidentally diagnosed with isolated sarcoidosis in the form of a nasal mass involving the ethmoid sinuses with destruction of the cribriform plate and intracranial extension. The patient complained of cacosmia and nasal obstruction. Histopathologic examination of biopsies from the nasal mass led to a diagnosis of non-caseating granuloma, highly suggestive of sarcoidosis. No systemic manifestations were detected, and the patient was started on a regimen of systemic steroids. Over the 3 months following biopsy and commencement of systemic steroids, the patient showed improvement in symptoms, and computed tomography of the paranasal sinuses revealed complete resolution of the sinonasal mass. Follow-up for one year revealed no recurrence.

Presentiamo il caso di una donna di 20 anni, in cui è stata diagnosticata incidentalmente una sarcoidosi isolata nasale con coinvolgimento del seno etmoidale, distruzione della lamina cribra ed estensione intracranica. La paziente lamentava cacosmia e ostruzione nasale. L’esame istopatologico della biopsia eseguita sulla massa nasale ha evidenziato un granuloma non caseoso, altamente indicativo di una sarcoidosi. Nessuna manifestazione sistemica è stata rilevata e la paziente è stata sottoposta ad un trattamento a base di corticosteroidi per via sistemica. Tre mesi dopo l’inizio della terapia, la paziente riferiva netto miglioramento della sintomatologia e la tomografia computerizzata dei seni paranasali evidenziava una regressione completa della massa sinusonasale. Non è stata evidenziata nessuna recidiva nel corso del primo anno di follow-up.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
CT PNS showing left lacrimal gland enlargement, free ethmoid sinuses and nasal roof. NB enlarged inferior turbinates.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
CT PNS showing sinonasal mass occupying roof of nose and both ethmoidal sinuses. NB destruction of cribriform plate, more on right side.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
MRI PNS showing sinonasal mass exhibiting marked enhancement on T1 weighted images with gadolinium contrast. Evident breach of cribriform plate with involvement of lower part of right frontal lobe of brain can be seen.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Sheets of inflammatory cells comprising lymphocytes and plasma cells widely separated by non-caseating granulomas composed of central epithelioid cells with multinucleated giant cells. Respiratory nasal epithelium can be seen on lower left (H&E x40).
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
CT PNS showing complete involution of sinonasal mass
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Erbek S, Erbek SS, Tosun E, Cakmak O. A rare case of sarcoidosis involving the middle turbinates: an incidental diagnosis. Diagnostic Pathology 2006;1:44. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kleemann D, Nofz S, Schlottmann A, Höcker I, Stengel B. Sinonasal sarcoidosis. HNO 2007;55:956-60. - PubMed
    1. Shah UK, White JA, Gooey JE, Hybels RL. Otolaryngologic manifestations of sarcoidosis: presentations and diagnosis. Laryngoscope 1997;107:67-75. - PubMed
    1. James DG. Sarcoidosis: milestones to the millennium. Sarcoidosis Vasc Diffuse Lung Dis 1999;16:174-82. - PubMed
    1. Clark PC, Bondy P, Jacop L. Radiology quiz case. Nasal sarcoidosis, in association with pulmonary sarcoidosis. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2002;128:979-80. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources