Clinicopathological Study of Rhinosporidiosis: A Study of 20 Cases in Government ENT Hospital, Hyderabad, Telangana - A Tertiary Care Center

Background: Rhinosporidiosis is a chronic granulomatous disease caused by Rhinosporidium seeberi which was once believed to be a sporozoan and then was included in phycomycetes, and now included under Mesomycetozoa. It is one of the common tropical diseases, most commonly affecting the mucosa of upper respiratory tract, chiefly the nose and nasopharynx. Other sites such as conjunctiva, lacrimal glands and subcutaneous tissue may also get infected. It presents as polypoidal mass. Aim and objective: To study incidence, age and gender distribution and clinicopathological features of Rhinosporidiosis. Materials and methods: A retrospective study of 20 cases was undertaken over a period of 5 years (July 2012 to June 2017) in the Department of Pathology, Government ENT Hospital, Hyderabad. The resected tissue specimens were subjected to routine processing, cutting; staining and histopathological features were studied with Hematoxylin and Eosin stain. Results: Nasal cavity was most commonly involved site, excepting in one case, where sub-glottis was involved. Males were predominantly affected i.e. 17 (85%) cases, whereas 3 (15%) cases were reported in females. Age range was between 8-70 years. (Both of them were males). Conclusion: Rhinosporidiosis most commonly presents as polypoidal mass in the nasal cavity and may also present at extra-nasal sites. Histopathology is the standard method for confirmation of diagnosis.