Nasal cocaine abuse causing an aggressive midline intranasal and pharyngeal destructive process mimicking midline reticulosis and limited Wegener's granulomatosis

Abstract

We describe a 36-year-old white man with an aggressive, midline intranasal and naso and oropharyngeal destructive process temporally associated with heavy (3 g/week) abuse of nasal cocaine. Necrosis and atrophy of the inferior and middle nasal turbinates bilaterally, prominent naso and oropharyngeal ulcers, and nasal septal perforation were observed clinically. Biopsies of a necrotic posterior oropharyngeal ulcer revealed focal areas of chronic inflammation and necrosis, but there was no evidence of vasculitis or granuloma formation. Serum was negative for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody. The oropharyngeal ulcer improved with abstinence from cocaine. Nasal septal perforation is a well recognized complication of nasal cocaine insufflation. Our case illustrates that a more aggressive midline intranasal and intrapharyngeal destructive process mimicking limited Wegener's granulomatosis and midline reticulosis can be associated with nasal cocaine abuse.