Routine histological examination for nasal polyp specimens: is it necessary?

Nasal polyp is one of the common causes of nasal obstruction. The diagnosis is usually made on clinical ground and rarely needs histological examination. However, when a candidate is selected for the surgical option of polyp removal, there is tendency to send all specimens for routine histological examination. The objective of this study was to assess the necessity of routinely performed histological examination in all nasal polyp specimens. A retrospective review of all nasal polyp histological reports was done from patients who underwent polypectomy or functional endoscopic sinus surgery in Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital between January 2000 to July 2006. It consisted of 95 patients. Majority of the reports came back as inflammatory nasal polyp (93.6%) and other varieties of benign nasal mass (5.3%). However, one specimen was noted to be malignant (1.1%). In conclusion all nasal polyp specimens should be sent for histological examination in order to confirm the diagnosis.