Cholesteatoma of the maxillary sinus: a case report and review of the literature.

Cholesteatoma is a relatively common disease entity within the middle ear cavity, but it is rarely found in the paranasal sinuses. We describe a rare case of cholesteatoma in the maxillary sinus of an elderly man presenting with recurrent sinus infections and nasal obstruction refractory to medical treatment. The patient was treated using functional endoscopic sinus surgery with successful removal of the cholesteatoma. He has no recurrence of the cholesteotoma at a 13year follow-up. We review the literature and history on maxillary cholesteatomas and discuss the theories on the pathogenesis of cholesteatoma formation. We propose functional endoscopic sinus surgery with maxillary antrostomy and marsupialization of the cholesteatoma as a primary treatment option for a maxillary cholesteatoma.