UNASSIGNED: The inverted and oncocytic subtypes of sinonasal Schneiderian papillomas are benign tumors with possible rare malignant transformation and are typically managed with complete surgical resection and close follow-up. While computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are mainstays in preoperative evaluation of bony invasion and soft tissue extension of the lesion, their imaging characteristics by 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is less well characterized.
UNASSIGNED: To describe the clinical presentation and management of a PET positive sinonasal lesion. To conduct a literature review of FDG uptake in benign sinonasal papillomas.
UNASSIGNED: Case report (n = 1) and literature review of similar cases (n = 32).
UNASSIGNED: We report the case of a 69-year-old man presenting with an isolated left maxillary sinus mass with avid FDG uptake, discovered on PET/CT imaging. An endoscopic left maxillary mega-antrostomy provided successful definitive treatment for final pathologic diagnosis of oncocytic papilloma. Literature review of cases of sinonasal papillomas with avid FDG uptake found that oncocytic papillomas, on average, exhibit greater uptake than inverted papillomas and both may be mistaken as malignancies on PET.
UNASSIGNED: While PET imaging demonstrating avid FDG uptake is associated with an increased risk of malignancy, it does not rule out the possibility of a benign sinonasal papilloma nor other benign inflammatory lesions. Particularly, oncocytic papillomas may have very high FDG uptake and mimic malignant lesions.

The nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses are covered with ciliated respiratory mucosa of ectodermal origin, known as Schneiderian epithelium, which can give rise to different types of sinonasal carcinomas. A 42-year-old woman with a history of nasal polypectomy 3 years previously presented with nasal obstruction and rhinorrhea. She was found to have a papillary mass involving the left nasal cavity, and the left maxillary and ethmoidal sinuses by radiologic examination. She underwent endonasal resection under the diagnosis of oncocytic papilloma. The resected specimen showed exuberant invasive growth of papillary or inverted architectures of epithelial cells. The neoplastic cells were very bland, showing a round to polygonal shape, low nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio, abundant oncocytic cytoplasm, uniform nuclei, indistinct nucleoli, and scarce mitosis. The overall features were identical to those of a recent report of a low-grade papillary Schneiderian carcinoma. The main differential diagnosis is Schneiderian papilloma, and awareness of this novel entity is important for its proper treatment.