Primary sphenoid and petrous apex esthesioneuroblastoma: case report

Abstract

A 62-year-old woman presented with raised intracranial pressure and features of a right cerebellopontine angle tumour with extension into the right middle cranial fossa. The patient died before a surgical excision could be performed. The autopsy revealed a primary esthesioneuroblastoma of the sphenoid sinus eroding the petrous bone and extending into the middle cranial fossa with metastatic tumour in the liver, and paratracheal and hilar lymph nodes. Although rare, esthesioneuroblastoma must be considered in the differential diagnosis of petrous-sphenoid lesions.

Ectopic olfactory neuroblastoma: report of four cases and a review of the literature

“…A review of the literature reveals 14 previously described cases of ectopic ONB arising from the following anatomical locations: six in the sphenoid sinus, five in the sellar region and one each in the lateral nasal wall, the petrous apex, the pituitary gland, the maxillary sinus and the nasopharynx [3][4][5][6][7]. In this paper, we present four case reports of ONB arising from the following ectopic locations; the anterior ethmoids, the sphenoid sinus, the nasopharynx and the floor of the nose.…”

“…The development of ONB outside this region, where olfactory neuroepithelium does not normally exist, is extremely rare. Ectopic ONB has been rarely reported in the literature from regions such as the maxillary sinus, the sphenoid sinus, the petrous apex, atypical locations in the nasal cavity and the pituitary gland [3][4][5][6][7].…”

A primary sellar esthesioneuroblastomas with unusual presentations: a case report and reviews of literatures

“…Up to date, there are nine cases reported as an esthesioneuroblastoma outside the cribriform plate, including five cases in sellar region [5][6][7][8][9], three cases in sphenoid sinus [4,10,11], and another one was not available in clinical detail (Table 1). Hormonal abnormalities and visual deficits served as the main clinical presentations in those five cases of the sellar region which suprasellar extension was common in.…”

“…The development of an esthesioneuroblastoma outside to the region in which olfactory epithelium exists is extremely rare [4]. Up to date, there are nine cases reported as an esthesioneuroblastoma outside the cribriform plate, including five cases in sellar region [5][6][7][8][9], 3 cases in sphenoid sinus [4,10,11], and another one not available in clinical detail. None of them presented as CSF rhinorrhea and chronic meningitis.…”

Sphenoid sinus involvement in neuroblastoma: a case report and review of the literature

“…But primary sites such as nasopharynx, maxillary and frontal sinuses have also been reported [13,14]. Esthesioneuroblastoma located in sphenoid sinus has been reported in two cases [14,15]. Although intracranial extension of the esthesioneuroblastoma is frequently possible, distant metastasis to extracranial organ is uncommon as initial presentation.…”