Chondroma of the nose

Nasal chondroma, compared to other localizations of cartilaginous tumors, is an extremely rare disease, since nasal cartilages have a significantly less pronounced proliferative capacity than epiphyseal cartilaginous tissues. Nasal chondroma occurs at all ages, but most often in young people.

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Pathological anatomy of nasal chondroma

Nasal chondroma is most often localized in the nasal septum, but can also occur on other surfaces of its cavity, including the cartilages of the wings of the nose. The size of the tumor varies from a pea to a chicken egg. Nasal chondroma is located on a wide base, has a rounded shape, dense and elastic to the touch with a smooth surface. It grows very slowly, over several years, reaching significant sizes, begins to deform the pyramid of the nose, especially its back, moving the nasal bones laterally. At this stage, the external nose resembles in appearance that with deforming nasal polyposis. In addition, nasal chondroma deforms the hard palate, the inner wall of the orbit with its pressure, displaces the nasal septum and penetrates the cells of the ethmoid labyrinth.

Symptoms of nasal chondroma

The initial stage goes unnoticed and chondroma of the nose is discovered accidentally during anterior rhinoscopy. Only when the tumor reaches a certain size, at which it comes into contact with the surrounding formations of the internal nose, signs of its pathological influence begin to appear. First of all, difficulty in nasal breathing increases, the sense of smell worsens, signs of neuralgia of the second branch of the trigeminal nerve, rhinorrhea, and a sensation of a bursting foreign body may appear. During anterior rhinoscopy, a smooth-walled dense-elastic tumor is detected, in advanced cases completely obturating one half of the nose, wedged between the lateral wall of the nasal cavity and the nasal septum. In more severe cases, deformation of the external nose is determined, and with pressure and ingrowth into the orbit - exophthalmos.

Diagnosis of nasal chondroma

Diagnosis of nasal chondroma is not difficult, but differential diagnostics should be approached with full responsibility, since such diseases as syphilitic gumma, rhinoscleroma, transitional cell (inverted) papilloma, rhinolith, etc. can often “hide” under the guise of chondroma. Curvatures of the nasal septum are characterized by the presence of bone and cartilaginous ridges, a hematoma or abscess of the nasal septum is characterized by the fact that when they are punctured, hemolyzed blood or pus is obtained; gumma in the development stage is distinguished by a brighter red color and woody density, rhinoscleroma is distinguished by diffuse damage to the nasal cavities and a tendency to their concentric stenosis. Osteoma is most similar to chondroma, it can be distinguished from chondroma using a needle that does not perforate the osteoma, but easily enters the chondroma.

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Treatment of nasal chondroma

Nasal chondromae are treated only by surgical methods. Depending on the location and size of the tumor, it can be removed either endonasal or externally, and the tumor can be removed as a whole block or in parts.