Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma presenting as Foster Kennedy Syndrome
Aga, A.
Ethiopian Medical Journal 39(3): 251-260
2001
ISSN/ISBN: 0014-1755 PMID: 11921556 Document Number: 537599
Juvenile nasopharyngral angiofibroma (JNA) is a rare benign tumor of the nasopharynx that occurs in adolescent boys with epistaxis and nasal obstruction. It may grow into the cranium causing elevated intra-cranial pressure and compression on the optic nerve. A histological-proven case of JNA in an 18 year-old Ethiopian boys is presented. He became blind due to optic atrophy in the right eye, but salvaged a useful vision in the left eye radiotherapy. The possibility of Foster-Kennedy Syndrome, a presentation of one atrophic and one papilloedematous optic nerve head of bilateral asymmetric optic atrophy, is discussed. Controversies about its histological appearance, natural history, diagnostic methods and management modalities are reviewed. JNA should be considered in adolescent boys who present with optic atrophy and/or nasal mass. Early detection and initial surgical treatment with adjunct radiotherapy could have prevented visual loss on this boy.