Juvenile psammomatoid ossifying fibroma of the ethmoid sinus successfully treated by endoscopic sinus surgery: a case report

BACKGROUND: Juvenile ossifying fibromas (JOF) are benign osteofibrous tumors very rarely located in paranasal sinus. The diagnostic and therapeutic tools applied in sinonasal inflammatory pathologies and other tumors fail to address a specific management in this rare pathology. Currently, the only available treatment is surgery. Endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) allows a complete but minimally invasive approach compared to the open technique, especially for the minor demolition on growing bone structures. CASE DESCRIPTION: We describe a case of a 13-year-old boy presenting in the Emergency Department for a head trauma. The computerized tomography (CT) revealed an ethmoid-maxillary bony mass suspected to be a juvenile ossifying fibroma. The patient underwent ESS. Histological examination confirmed a juvenil psammomatoid ossifyng fibroma (JPOF). A revision surgery with the same technique was required after 7 months due to relapse of the tumor. He did not develop postoperative complications. The 3-years follow-up did not show any signs of relapse. CONCLUSIONS: Paranasal JOF is a challenge for the ear-nose-throat (ENT) surgeon. The principles of local disease control for relapse reduction are different from inflammatory diseases and other paranasal tumors. Severe organ damage and recurrences are possible if caution is not observed. Specific guidelines about management are required on the basis of the shared experiences in the few cases reported in literature.