[Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma--evaluation of the invasion of the pterygoid canal].

We operated on three patients with juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma in the past 3 years. The endoscopic transnasal approach was utilized in all the cases, and in one case it was accompanied with a Caldwell-Luc procedure. All the tumors were located around the sphenopalatine foramen, but also had involved and enlarged the pterygoid canal. All the cases underwent preoperative selective embolization, but it was difficult to embolize the branch of the internal carotid artery. A partial resection of the middle turbinate facilitated the manipulation of the sphenopalatine foramen and the pterygoid canal. Endoscopic management of juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma should be considered as a first-choice option for tumors at the early stage.