Cholesterol granuloma of the maxillary sinus: six cases from the same region

It is common to find cholesterol granuloma in the mastoid antrum and air cells of the temporal bone, but it is very rare in paranasal sinuses. In the development of this pathology, the key factor is the presence of a closed cavity containing exudate and blood. Six cases of cholesterol granuloma of the maxillary sinus are presented from six years' study in our hospital. According to the main symptoms, clinical findings, and radiological appearance (except the destruction of the antrum wall in some patients), the pathology was similar to chronic maxillary sinusitis. All the patients were treated with radical operative techniques. In this study, we reviewed the literature and our cases, and could not detect any findings to explain why this pathology had occurred frequently in our district. We strongly recommend that investigations should be carried out on all specimens obtained from paranasal sinus surgery, because the cholesterol granuloma in the maxillary antrum could be mistaken for chronic sinusitis.