Rhinophyma Causing Feeding Difficulty- A Rare Case Report with Review of Literature

Abstract

Rhinophyma is a rare chronic progressive disease of phymatous type of rosacea and commonly affects males in their fifth to seventh decades. Diagnosis is based on clinical features. It commonly results in cosmetic deformities; however rarely functional issues have been reported like nasal obstruction and feeding difficulty. Medical treatment is usually ineffective in reducing the size of rhinophyma and moderate and severe cases of rhinophyma give reasonably good results to surgical intervention using different modalities. We report a rare case of rhinophyma in a 72-year-male with an unusual presentation of a large rhinophyma with a long hanging tumorous tip presenting with functional issues including partial nasal obstruction and feeding difficulty especially liquids from a cup of glass for which he was adamant to get it operated. Tumor was successfully removed with electrosurgical knife combined with excision and primary repair of nodular growth at the lower end to the satisfaction of the patient. This case highlights that rhinophyma can rarely enlarge in a way that it can result in feeding difficulty posing a challenge in management. The relevant literature is discussed.