CASE REPORTS   

Italian Journal of Maxillofacial Surgery 2013 December;24(3):147-50

Copyright © 2014 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Maxillary nodular fasciitis in childhood: a case report

Ghilardi R. ¹, Amaddeo P. ¹, Barbaglio A. ¹, Giraldi E. ³, Provenzi M. ², Saettini F. ³, Agostinis C. ⁴, Pericotti S. ⁵

¹ Department of Maxillo‑Facial Surgery, Ospedale Papa Giovanni XXIII, Bergamo, Italy; ² Department of Pediatrics, Ospedale Papa Giovanni XXIII, Bergamo, Italy; ³ Department of Pediatrics, University of Milano‑Bicocca, Monza, Italy; ⁴ Department of Neuroradiology, Ospedale Papa Giovanni XXIII, Bergamo, Italy; ⁵ Department of Histhopathology, Ospedale Papa Giovanni XXIII, Bergamo, Italy

Nodular fasciitis is a rare and benign tumor-like condition of a probably reactive nature; it consists of proliferating fibroblasts or myofibroblasts. We present herewith the case of an 18-month-old baby girl with a rapidly enlarging soft tissue mass within the maxilla. The lesion was excised through an intraoral sublabial incision. The recovery was uneventful and the patient is currently in good condition. We carried out a complete review of the results produced from querying the database “Pub Med” with the key words “maxillary fasciitis children”, “nodular fasciitis”, “cranial fasciitis of childhood”, limitedly to papers in English. The diagnosis of nodular fasciitis was histopathologically confirmed. Postoperative recovery was uneventful; the follow up has been strictly scheduled and there has been no recurrence in 48 months. In conclusion, craniofacial fasciitis of childhood is a rare variant of nodular fasciitis; it represents a diagnostic challenge because of its rapid growth and bone erosion, which mimics a malignant tumor.