Pseudotumor of the pterygomaxillary space presenting as anesthesia of the mandibular nerve

Abstract

Pseudotumor is a term used to describe a space occupying inflammatory lesion which mimics a true neoplastic process in its clinical presentation. In this paper, we report a pseudotumor of the pterygomaxillary space that presented with anesthesia and paralysis of the mandibular nerve. The importance of this case is to call attention to pseudotumors as a clinical entity and to document a case of an extraordinarily aggressive variant that required a surgical approach usually reserved for malignant tumors.