Left-sided facial mass in an adult female

A left maxillary sinus soft tissue mass was discovered on computed tomography in a 70-year-old woman who had been experiencing blood-tinged mucus for 2 years. The lesion demonstrated mild enhancement, and bony destruction. Magnetic resonance imaging displayed a cerebriform appearance of the mass, which mimicked the appearance of inverted papilloma. However, histology and staining identified the lesion as ameloblastoma. Resection of the tumor was successful with no recurrence 1 month later on follow-up computed tomography. This case represents an unusual imaging presentation of ameloblastoma, and an opportunity to avoid the misdiagnosis of inverted papilloma in similar future cases.