Sine Qua Non: Sinonasal Inverted Papilloma

Patient With Unilateral Nasal Obstruction and a Nasal Mass

A 65-year-old man presented with a 2-year history of left nasal obstruction and large tumor in the left nasal cavity. What is your diagnosis?

Online health information on sinonasal inverted papillomas: An assessment on readability and quality

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Sinonasal inverted papilloma (IP) is a rare but serious diagnosis, with a paucity of patient-centred information regarding this condition. As more patients are seeking healthcare information online, the quality and comprehensibility of this information becomes ever more important. The aim of the study was to investigate the readability and quality of websites on inverted papilloma.

METHODS

The term IP and seven of its synonyms were inputted into the three of the most commonly used search engines in the English-speaking world (Google, Yahoo and Bing). The first 20 results returned for each search term were then screened with our exclusion criteria. The remaining websites were assessed for their readability using the using the Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES) and average grade level (AGL). Quality was assessed using the DISCERN questionnaire.

RESULTS

Of the 480 websites returned using our search strategy, 410 were excluded using our screening criteria. Removal of duplicates from the remaining 70 websites left 14 for inclusion in the final analysis. The mean FRES score of the remaining websites was 30.5 ± 10 and the mean AGL was 15.2 ± 1.1, corresponding to a reading age of a 21-year-old. The median DISCERN score was 33.5 (30.5-36.5), a score which falls within the 'poor quality' range.

CONCLUSION

The readability and quality of online patient information on IP is far below the expected standard. Healthcare providers have a responsibility to direct patients to appropriate sources of information or consider producing new material should a lack of appropriate sources exist.

A Large Pleomorphic Adenoma in Nasal Cavity Misdiagnosed as Inverted Papilloma

Pleomorphic adenoma (PA) is a benign tumor characterized by slow-growing mixed tumors in the craniofacial area. It is relatively common in salivary glands; however, PA of the nasal cavity, which arises in the minor salivary glands, is rare. We present the case of a large PA in the nasal cavity of an adult immunocompetent woman with nasal obstruction and intermittent epistaxis. Based on preoperative radiologic examinations, she was misdiagnosed with an inverted papilloma. Endoscopic resection was performed under general anesthesia. Pathologically, the patient was confirmed to have PA, which has great cellularity and few stromal components. No complications or recurrences during the 1-year follow-up period were observed.