Postoperative follow-up of juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibromas: assessment by CT scan and MR imaging

Abstract.

The purpose of this study was to assess the radiological findings after surgical removal of juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibromas (JNA). The postoperative CT and MRI scans of ten patients were reviewed. The cured group included six patients. The non-controlled group included six patients with eight recurrences. Two patients belonged to both groups as they were also followed and cured after surgery for relapse. Four recurrences were asymptomatic and diagnosed by imaging. The imaging patterns were matched to the patients clinical status and endoscopic findings. In the cured group, non-enhanced residual soft tissue masses were seen in all cases. In the non-controlled group, recurrence was always demonstrated on early postoperative CT or MR as a dramatically enhanced mass. The recurrence was located in the lateral or superior aspect of the nasopharynx (n = 3), deep to the fossa of Rosenmuller (n = 4) or out of the nasopharynx (n = 1). In two cases a remaining enhanced mass disappeared spontaneously on iterated examinations. Because of numerous asymptomatic relapses, a radiological workup is recommended four months after surgery, even in patients with normal endoscopy, to rule out posterolateral or extranasopharyngeal recurrences. Spontaneous evolution of residual masses must be appreciated on iterated imaging examinations.