Desmoplastic ameloblastoma with large cystic change in the maxillary sinus: report of a case

Desmoplastic ameloblastoma (DA) is a relatively rare odontogenic neoplasm. DA presents with clinical features that vary significantly from the more common multicystic ameloblastoma, such as a predilection for the anterior jaw and a mixed radiolucent/radiopaque appearance, to a multilocular radiographic appearance of the lesions most common in the posterior mandible. On gross examination, DA appeares as a solid mass, unlike the multicystic ameloblastoma that contains fluid-filled spaces. Histologically, DA is characterized by small nests and strands of “compressed” odontogenic epithelium supported by desmoplastic stroma, the density of which accounts for the radiographic appearance. DA with a significant cystic component has not been reported. In this case report, we present a rare case of DA with significant cystic change in a lesion with extension into the maxillary sinus.