Maxillary antral lesions: An analysis of 108 cases seen in a Tertiary Hospital in Benin City, Nigeria

Aim: This article aims to determine the clinicodemographic pattern and histopathological types of the maxillary antral lesions in a Nigerian population. Materials and Methods: Eleven years retrospective review of case records of patients with histologically diagnosed maxillary antral lesions seen at the Otorhinolaryngological and Oral Pathology/Medicine Departments, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria was performed. Result: A total of 108 patients with maxillary lesions were seen during the period under review, comprising of 57 (52.8%) males and 51 (47.2%) females, giving a ratio of 1.1:1. The patients' mean age was 41 years (±1.9 standard deviation) and the peak age group was the third decade of life ( n = 22, 20.4%). The most frequent clinical features were painless maxillary swelling ( n = 91, 84.3%), nasal discharge ( n = 41, 38.0%), nasal obstruction ( n = 34, 31.5%) and toothache ( n = 30, 28.0%). Most patients ( n = 31, 28.7%) presented for treatment within a year of onset of the lesion ( n = 69, 63.9%) and the left maxillary antrum was the most commonly affected site ( n = 64, 59.3%). The antral lesions were mostly malignant lesions ( n = 56, 51.9%), with squamous cell carcinoma accounting for 37 (34.3%) of the cases; followed by benign lesions ( n = 23, 21.3%), inflammatory/infective lesions ( n = 13, 12.0%), cystic lesions ( n = 9, 8.3%), and reactive lesions ( n = 8, 7.4%). Conclusion: A high prevalence of neoplastic maxillary antral lesions, consisting mostly of malignant lesion was observed in this study. Routine histopathological examination of recurrent or persistent maxillary antral lesions is recommended for early detection of malignant lesions or malignant transformations among reactive or benign antral lesions.