ABSTRACT

Cholesterol granuloma is a description of the reaction of different tissues to the presence of cholesterol crystals. It can be found in several areas of the body, including middle ear, mastoid process, breast, sella turcica, pontocerebelline angle, testis, lungs, brain, and kidneys, and in the apex of the temporal bone pyramid. Maxillary sinus localization is rare. A 24-yearold woman presented with symptoms of nasal obstruction and headache. Computed tomography scan of the paranasal sinuses showed a lesion of soft tissue density occupying the right maxillary sinus. The lesion, localized in the right maxillary antrum, was excised. Histopathological examination revealed an intact mucosa with a large number of submucosal cholesterol clefts surrounded by foreign body granulation tissue. These findings led us to the diagnosis of cholesterol granuloma. Cholesterol granuloma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of sinus lesions. Complete excision would provide a good prognosis.