Computed tomography in olfactory neuroblastoma: one case of esthesioneuroepithelioma and four cases of esthesioneuroblastoma

Abstract

Five cases of histologically confirmed olfactory neuroblastoma (esthesioneuroblastomas) have been studied by computed tomography (CT). Both the clinical symptoms (in particular, unilateral nasal obstruction and recurring epistaxis) and radiological findings (opacity of the paranasal sinuses) are nonspecific. Computed tomography shows a contrast enhancing mass-lesion and is more useful than conventional tomography in estimating its extension and the associated bone destruction, secondary reaction of sinusitis, and tumoral calcification. In the two cases in which the tumor was associated with exophthalmos, CT demonstrated that the muscular cone acts as a barrier preventing tumoral invasion. In cases wtih intracranial involvement, it appears that the attenuation values can be useful for differentiating between invasion by contiguity (two cases) versus metastasis (one case). Computed tomography is valuable in the follow-up and during and after radiotherapy of the tumor.