A New Endoscopic Staging System for Angiofibromas

OBJECTIVE: To develop a new staging system for juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma that reflects changes in surgical approaches (endonasal), route of intracranial extension, and the extent of vascular supply from the internal carotid artery. DESIGN: Retrospective review of case series. SETTING: Academic medical center. PATIENTS: Patients undergoing endoscopic endonasal surgery for juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1998 through 2008. INTERVENTION: Patients were staged according to current systems and compared with a new staging system that also incorporated the route of skull base extension and tumor vascularity. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Estimated blood loss, number of operations, and tumor recurrence. RESULTS: Skull base erosion was observed in 74% of cases. Following embolization of external carotid artery tributaries, residual vascularity from the internal carotid artery was seen in 51% of patients. Residual vascularity, classified as UPMC stage IV and V, strongly correlated with blood loss, requirement for multiple procedures, and residual or recurrent tumor. CONCLUSIONS: Tumor size and extent of sinus disease are less important in predicting complete tumor removal with endonasal surgical techniques. The UPMC staging system for juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma accounts for 2 important prognostic factors, route of cranial base extension, and vascularity and is applicable to endoscopic or open approaches. Compared with other staging systems, the UPMC staging system provides a better prediction of immediate morbidity (including blood loss and need for multiple operations) and tumor recurrence.