Extranasopharyngeal angiofibroma arising from the infratemporal region

Angiofibroma is a histologically benign but locally invasive tumour of the blood vessels characterized by architecturally irregular vessels set in a fibrous stroma. The commonest site for occurrence of these tumours in the body is the nasopharynx. It is rare to find extranasopharyngeal origin of angiofibromas. The infratemporal fossa is a very rare site of extra nasopharyngeal angiofibroma with only 4 cases reported in the literature. We report here a case of a vascular mass arising from the infratemporal fossa of a 13-year-old boy that was confirmed to be a case of angiofibroma histopathologically. A review is also made of the other reported cases of angiofibroma arising from the infratemporal fossa. The likely theory of origin of the tumour and its management is also discussed.