Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 August 2012
Acquired nasopharyngeal stenosis typically occurs as a result of surgery or irradiation of the nasopharynx. Sarcoidosis has numerous manifestations in the head and neck region, although an association with nasopharyngeal stenosis has not previously been reported.
A 40-year-old man with sarcoidosis developed severe acquired nasopharyngeal stenosis. This was successfully managed with balloon dilatation, followed by pharyngoplasty with local pharyngeal flap reconstruction.
This report is intended to prompt consideration of nasopharyngeal stenosis as a potential cause of nasal obstruction in patients with sarcoidosis, and to draw attention to the need to consider sarcoidosis in the differential diagnosis of patients with acquired nasopharyngeal stenosis. We also demonstrate the viability of pharyngoplasty in the management of nasopharyngeal stenosis in the setting of sarcoidosis.
Presented as a poster at the Triological Society Meeting at the Combined Otolaryngological Sections Meeting, 29 April to 1 May 2010, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA