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Bleeding polyp of the nasal septum.
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 05.07.2025
A bleeding polyp of the nasal septum is an angiofibromatous benign tumor located on one side of the nasal septum, most often in the area of the anterior venous-arterial plexus, less often on the inferior or middle nasal concha or on the lateral wall of the nasal cavity.
[ What causes a bleeding nasal septum polyp?
There is no specific information about the etiology of this disease. Since this disease occurs more often in women, it is assumed that it has an endocrine nature. There are other "theories", such as traumatic, inflammatory, oncological, but there is no reason to consider one of them more real than the others.
Pathological anatomy
Macroscopically, a bleeding nasal septum polyp is a round tumor the size of a small pea to a large cherry, dark red or bluish in color, papillary or mushroom-shaped, on a stalk, easily bleeding when touched, often bleeding spontaneously, especially when sneezing or blowing your nose. The density of the tumor is determined by the ratio of vascular and fibrous tissue.
The microscopic structure of a bleeding nasal septum polyp is varied and is determined by the composition of vascular and connective tissues; the tumor often contains inflammatory elements such as granulation tissue. In foreign literature, due to the diversity of the histological structure of a bleeding nasal septum polyp, this tumor has received many names: inflammatory granuloma, angiofibroma, pure angioma, cavernous angioma, telangiectatic fibroma, papillomatous fibroma, etc.
Symptoms of a bleeding nasal septum polyp
Patients complain of such symptoms of a bleeding nasal septum polyp as: frequent unilateral nosebleeds and progressive unilateral nasal breathing disorder. During endoscopy, the above-described tumor is detected in the above-mentioned places in the nasal cavity. The tumor density depends on its structure. It bleeds when palpated with a probe. When lubricated with an adrenaline solution, the bleeding nasal septum polyp does not shrink, but as a result of the shrinkage of the surrounding tissues, conditions are created for a more thorough examination of the formation. The tumor is not accompanied by regional lymphadenitis. Nasal breathing on the side of the tumor is difficult or completely blocked. Obstructive hyposmia is observed on the same side.
Complications of a bleeding nasal septum polyp mainly concern anemia with long-term, frequently recurring bleeding that remains unattended, unilateral sinus complications caused by impaired nasal breathing. Tumor malignancy is an extremely rare phenomenon.
What's bothering you?
Diagnosis of bleeding nasal septum polyp
Diagnosis of a bleeding nasal septum polyp is not difficult; a direct diagnosis is established based on frequent recurring bleeding from the same half of the nose and rhinoscopy data.
Differential diagnostics of a bleeding nasal septum polyp also does not cause major problems. In doubtful cases, a histological examination of the removed tumor is used, differentiating it from lupus, tuberculosis, scleroma and cancer.
What do need to examine?
What tests are needed?
Treatment of bleeding nasal septum polyp
A bleeding nasal septum polyp is treated only radically. Treatment consists of extirpation of the tumor with the underlying perichondrium and cartilage. If localized on the nasal concha, the tumor is removed with part of the underlying concha. Removal of a bleeding nasal septum polyp with a loop or by diathermocoagulation does not provide a radical cure due to frequent relapses.