Even though endoscopic removal of inverted papillomas has gained popularity, many studies advocate supplementary external approaches. The impact of including the current surgical staging system into the pre-operative clinical and radiological assessment has not been systematically evaluated. We present our experience with total endoscopic management of inverted papillomas and compare the accuracy of the pre-operative predicted extent of surgery, with the actually performed surgery.

From 1997 to 2005 data from 51 patients with inverted papillomas were prospectively collected and subsequently reviewed. All have been operated on endoscopically without an external approach.

The overall recurrence rate was 3.9 per cent. Pre-operative prediction of extent of surgery was accurate in 26 of 51 (51 per cent). The main reasons for the inaccurate pre-operative prediction were the variable sizes and locations of the inverted papilloma bases, particularly in the maxillary sinus and the frontal recess. Our results encourage us to recommend endoscopic management as the standard treatment of benign inverted papillomas.