Juvenile Nasopharyngeal Angiofibroma in a Female: Report of a Case

THIS UNCOMMON lesion of the upper air passages has been a well-established entity for at least 100 years but its precise nature and origin are still subject to debate. Its tumor-like behavior causing obstruction of the airway and its fibrovascular structure giving rise to severe hemorrhage have long been associated with a predilection for pubescent males. The sex incidence is underlined by the fact that many of the larger published series such as the 29 cases of Martin and associates,1the 26 cases of Hubbard,2the 52 cases of Harma,3and the 9 cases of Patterson4are exclusively male. On the other hand, a number of authors have reported the condition as occurring occasionally in females. The earliest record was that of Pluyette5who reported 12 alleged cases in females but, since many were outside the usually accepted age incidence, it is doubtful whether they