Online ISSN: 1303-6289
Print ISSN: 0304-4793

Published Online: 
October 19, 2004

Turkish Archives of Otolaryngology 2004; 42(3): 188-192 Abstract

Full Text in Turkish [PDF] 448 KB

Rhinoscleroma is a rare, chronic, granulomatous infectious disease of the upper respitory tract caused by the Klebsiella rhinoscleromatis. Delayed diagnosis may increase morbidity, relapses and may decrease success rates. The most common initial complaint is nasal obstruction. Physical examination reveals foul smelling, nodular swellings covered with crusts. Its tumor-like appearance and local spread arouse suspicion of malignancy. Diagnosis of rhinoscleroma is made on the appropriate bacterial cultures with histologic identification of granulomas, fibrosis, eosinophilic Russell bodies and large vacuolated histiocytes (Mikulicz cell). There are three stages in rhinoscleroma: an exudative, a proliferative and a cicatricial stage. It can be treated with a long-term antimicrobial therapy and if necessary, surgical treatment is indicated. Until now, there has been no successful therapy accepted universally. Long-term follow-up is important because these patients can have numerous relapses. A rhinoscleroma case diagnosed in granulomatous stage is presented because of the typifying many of the features of this disease and rhinoscleroma seen rarely in our country is discussed.

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