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Nasal Polyps

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Micro-endoscopic Surgery of the Paranasal Sinuses and the Skull Base

Abstract

It is very difficult to exactly define “nasal polyps”. They have been described as edematous nasal mucosa and benign neoplasms that have a polyp body and a stalk. Edematous nasal mucosa with small polypoid protrusions in the middle meatus contrast greatly with large single polyps; edematous nasal mucosa resembles a benign neoplasm that obstructs the entire nasal cavity. The commonly used definition (that a nasal polyp is a non-neoplastic mucosal swelling that usually arises from the middle meatus and prolapses into the nasal cavity) relates to its pathogenesis, but there is no proof that a polyp is a prolapse of the mucosa. Polyps are also called “pale bags” of edematous tissue, but a morphologist will not designate the polyp epithelium as a bag and the polyp stroma as the content of the bag. Any benign neoplasm covered with an epithelium, e.g., inverted papilloma, would then be called a bag. A “neutral”, acceptable definition might be that a polyp is a pedunculated, soft, elongated structure attached to the nasal mucosa by a slim stalk or a broad base. Polyps are usually soft, mobile, have a smooth, shiny surface and are of bluish-gray or pink translucent appearance. Polyp size varies considerably but is usually approximately 1 cm in diameter (Fig. 8.1).

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  1. Mirko Tos
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  2. Per L. Larsen
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  3. Knud Larsen
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  4. Per Cayé-Thomasen
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Rua Afonso Braz 525 - Cj 13, 04511-010, São Paulo, Brazil

    Aldo Cassol Stamm M.D. (Director of ENT São Paulo Center) (Director of ENT São Paulo Center)

  2. Kopf-, Hals- und Plastische Gesichtschirurgie Klinikum Fulda, Pacelli-Allee 4, 36043, Fulda, Germany

    Wolfgang Draf M.D. FRCS (Direktor der Klinik für Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Krankheiten) (Direktor der Klinik für Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Krankheiten)

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Tos, M., Larsen, P.L., Larsen, K., Cayé-Thomasen, P. (2000). Nasal Polyps. In: Stamm, A.C., Draf, W. (eds) Micro-endoscopic Surgery of the Paranasal Sinuses and the Skull Base. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-57153-4_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-57153-4_8

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