Leiomyoma of the nose and paranasal sinuses is rare. It constitutes about 1 per cent of all benign tumours. This is due to the paucity of smooth muscle in the nose.

In this paper, the authors present one case of vascular leiomyoma which arose in the inferior turbinate in a 64-year-old lady. It was treated by partial turbinectomy with the relief of her symptoms of nasal obstruction, epistaxis and facial pain.

The English literature on the topic is reviewed.

Haemangiopericytoma is a rare vascular tumour originating from pericytes which are cells surrounding the capillaries. Only 23 cases of haemangiopericytoma arising from the nose and sinuses have been reported in the literature, of which three are from the nasal septum. We are pleased to report one more case.

Primary hyperparathyroidism presenting with advanced bone disease is an important differential diagnosis of ‘tumours’ affecting the craniofacial skeleton. We describe a case of primary hyperparathyroidism presenting with a brown tumour of the maxilla causing local symptoms.

Differentiation from other giant cell lesions of the maxilla is necessary. The histological and radiological features of brown tumour, non-ossifying fibroma and reparative granuloma are all similar. Differentiation relies on plasma calcium estimation and the diagnosis of hyperparathyroidism is confirmed by serum parathyroid hormone assay.

An unusual case of odontogenic keratocyst arising from the maxilla, involving the maxillary anturm has been reported. Presence of an ectopic canine tooth under the orbital floor was a noticeable feature of this case. The clinical presentation, radiological, and histological aspects and treatment have been reviewed.

Craniofacial resection techniques were developed to allow complete monobloc removal of malignant tumours of the ethmoid region. Such a surgical approach may also occasionally be useful in certain non-malignant conditions. Extensive ‘destructive’ aspergillosis of the paranasal sinuses has a high mortality once the anterior cranial fossa dura is reached. Craniofacial surgery provides excellent access to excise such large infective ‘tumours’.

A case of osteogenic sarcoma of the ethmoid sinus is reported in a 45 year old man. The tumour extended superiorly through the frontal sinus and involved the medial wall of the left orbit causing diplopia. Treatment comprised partial excision followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy with symptomatic improvement, although 13 months later the patient died from progressive local and metastatic disease. A possible relationship to previous radiation exposure is discussed.

Primary nasopharyngeal involvement with Hodgkin's Disease (HD) is a rare event. Most such cases are associated with other sites of involvement. In this paper we present a case of State 1 HD in the nasopharynx and review the literature.

A case of embryonal (botryoid) rhabdomyosarcoma of the nasopharynx originally occurring in a two year old male, with late recurrence in the neck 20 years after treatment by combined surgery and radiotherapy is presented. The histological diagnosis of rhabdomyosarcoma, and the significance of late recurrence are discussed.

Adult rhabdomyoma is a benign neoplasm of skeletal muscle origin, which mainly occurs in the head and neck region. Because of its rarity the diagnosis may be missed, especially if cross-striations cannot be demonstrated by light microscopy. By applying supplementary diagnostic evaluation with immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy, the diagnosis is established. Positive staining with desmin unequivocally demonstrates that the tumour cells are derived from muscle tissue. The presence of myofibrils, Z-bands and numerous mitochondria by ultrastructural examination are characteristic features of this tumour.

The rare case of a patient who developed a squamous carcinoma within a Warthin's tumour of the parotid gland (adenolymphoma or papillary cystadenoma lymphomatosum) is described. We have found ten previously reported cases, only four of which have shown squamous carcinomatos change.