Surgery of Inverted Papilloma of the Maxillary Sinus via Translacrimal Approach—Long-Term Outcome and Literature Review

There are several differential diagnoses of unilateral sinus disease. One of these is inverted papilloma (IP) of the maxillary sinus, which is a common benign tumor with a substantial rate of malignant transformation. In general, endoscopic endonasal techniques for addressing the tumor are favored nowadays instead of classical external approaches. The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the long-term outcome of inverted papilloma treated endoscopically via the prelacrimal approach. We reviewed 17 patients with primary or recurrent IP of the maxillary sinus that were treated via the prelacrimal endoscopic endonasal technique. After a median follow-up period of 45.9 months (3.8 years), none of the 17 included patients showed signs of recurrent disease and no serious complications were reported. Hypoesthesia of the incisors was reported by four patients and was resolved with time in one. All of the maxillary sinuses could be fully visualized with the flexible endoscope. IP is an important differential diagnosis in the clinical finding of unilateral nasal polypoid lesions. The prelacrimal approach is an effective and safe method in the treatment of IP with limited patient morbidity.