1/83. Sinusitis with contiguous abscess involvement of the clivus and petrous apices. Case report. A wide spectrum of diseases may involve the clivus, such as primary neoplasms, metastatic disease, and inflammatory, vascular, hematopoietic, and infectious processes. Of these, osteomyelitis of the skull base and/or clival-petrous abscess are unusual, but may occur as a result of contiguous spread from the paranasal sinuses, namely, the posterior ethmoid and sphenoid, as was demonstrated by this patient. In this case report we discuss the pertinent anatomy, imaging studies, pathogenesis, and medical and surgical management of this case. ( info) |
2/83. Superolateral subperiosteal orbital abscess complicating sinusitis in a child. Orbital complications of sinusitis in children generally occur as a consequence of ethmoid sinusitis due to preferential spread across the lamina papyracea. A case is presented of a subperiosteal abscess (SPA) in the superolateral orbital wall complicating frontal sinusitis in a 6-year-old female. Congenital bony dehiscences exist in the lateral floor of the frontal sinus, which may allow direct spread of infection through to that region. While the general principles of managing orbital complications of sinusitis are applicable, the surgical approach for a SPA complicating frontal sinusitis differs from that of the typical medial SPA, and the clinician should be mindful of this variation when planning surgical treatment. ( info) |
3/83. Orbital abscess due to acute ethmoiditis in a neonate. Orbital complications due to ethmoiditis are not uncommon in children. However, they are very rare in infants. A case of orbital abscess due to acute ethmoiditis in a 10 days old boy is reported. Causative microorganisms isolated from the operated specimen were staphylococcus aureus and aspergillosis. Successful outcome was achieved following antimicrobial therapy, external ethmoidectomy, and surgical drainage of the abscess. The aetiopathogenesis and management of this clinical entity is discussed, with a brief review of the literature. ( info) |
4/83. Isolated intracranial mucocele. Intracranial mucoceles have been previously reported as direct extradural extensions of mucoceles of the paranasal sinuses. We describe a patient with 2 silent mucoceles isolated within the parenchyma of the frontal lobe of the brain. The patient had undergone multiple previous intranasal polypectomy and ethmoidectomy procedures, and the unsuspected mucoceles were discovered on a computed tomographic scan obtained to evaluate recurrent rhinosinusitis symptoms. craniotomy was required for removal of the mucoceles. ( info) |
5/83. Persistent rhinosinusitis in children after endoscopic sinus surgery. The efficacy of endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) in children is insufficiently addressed in the medical literature. We report a cohort of 14 children (mean age 7.7 years, median age 5.1 years) seen at our multidisciplinary clinic for refractory rhinosinusitis during a 30-month period who continued to have rhinosinusitis despite previous ESS. Prior ESS procedures were performed by 11 surgeons in 3 states. The first ESS was performed when the children were a mean age of 4.6 years, and in 10 of 14, it was performed when they were younger than 4.8 years. This cohort required a disproportionately high rate of subsequent surgical intervention, 50%, versus a 9% surgical rate in the remaining clinic population (P = 0.0002). Osteomeatal scarring was the single most difficult surgical complication. Significant morbidity, in the form of persistent disease, is encountered after ESS in young children. Although chronic rhinosinusitis after ESS, to a certain degree, can still be managed by medical therapy, judicial use of ESS, especially in the very young, is recommended. ( info) |
| Subdural empyema (SDE) is most commonly caused by sinusitis and, without early diagnosis and neurosurgical intervention, is associated with high mortality. In a patient with sinusitis who presents with mental status changes, the diagnosis of SDE should be suspected on clinical grounds, even in the absence of significant computed tomographic findings. Computed tomography with contrast is a useful aid in the diagnosis of SDE, but findings may be subtle, and contrasted magnetic resonance imaging is superior. The association of streptococcus anginosus sinusitis and related intracranial sequelae is important owing to the potentially catastrophic complications and should be recognized by otolaryngologists. In view of the rapidly progressing nature of sinogenic SDE, physicians should strongly consider early institution of aggressive therapy consisting of craniotomy with concurrent sinus drainage in patients in whom sinogenic SDE is suspected on clinical grounds, particularly in the presence of S. anginosus-positive sinus cultures. ( info) |
7/83. Periorbital cellulitis secondary to ethmoiditis in a 5-week-old child. Periorbital cellulitis is a condition primarily affecting young children. We present a 5-week-old boy who developed periorbital cellulitis and had a CT scan which identified acute ethmoiditis as the source of the sepsis. His clinical course is outlined, and the relevant literature is discussed. We believe this patient is the youngest case of periorbital cellulitis due to confirmed ethmoiditis reported. This emphasises the possibility of an underlying sinusitis in patients with periorbital cellulitis, even in this very young age group. ( info) |
8/83. Treatment of subtotal medial rectus myectomy complicating functional endoscopic sinus surgery. During the past 2 decades, the introduction of functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) has dramatically improved the treatment of sinus disorders. However, a variety of orbital complications have been reported, including optic nerve damage, hemorrhage, infection, compromise of the lacrimal drainage apparatus, and strabismus. At least 10 cases have reported damage to the medial rectus muscle. (1-8) Treatment options for such patients have been limited, especially because most are adults at risk for anterior segment ischemia after transposition of vertical rectus muscles. We describe 2 patients whose medial rectus myectomies were repaired by using nonabsorbable "hang-back" sutures in combination with a botulinum toxin (Botox) injection of the antagonist lateral rectus muscle. Good primary position alignment was achieved in both patients, and one patient was able to regain binocular function. We recommend this surgical approach, especially in patients at increased risk for anterior segment ischemia. ( info) |
9/83. breast cancer metastasis presenting as ethmoiditis. Metastasis from primary tumours to the paranasal sinuses is infrequent. We report an unusual case of breast cancer metastasis presenting as ethmoiditis in MRI. MRI changes are unspecific and sometimes inflammatory lesions can not be distinguished from neoplastic lesions. Inflammatory changes in the paranasal sinuses are also frequently noted on MRI even in normal persons without disease. A high index of metastasis suspicion in any patient with breast cancer must be kept in mind. ( info) |
10/83. Detection of sinus-induced orbital mycosis with standardized orbital ultrasonography: a case report. Fungal involvement of the paranasal sinuses is frequently observed in the immunocompromised host, and it can become life-threatening if it is not diagnosed. Although the definitive diagnosis is made by tissue biopsy and culture, imaging is of vital importance in the clinical workup and in planning treatment. We present a case of fulminant ethmoidal sinusitis caused by aspergillus flavus with orbital involvement in an immunocompromised patient. Standard computed tomography of the paranasal sinuses was complemented by the use of standardized orbital ultrasonography, which was able to identify the intraorbital extension. We discuss the role of standardized orbital ultrasonography as a complementary imaging modality in the diagnosis of fungal sinusitis and in the assessment of local extension. To the best of our knowledge, the role of SOU in diagnosing an orbital extension of a fungal infection of the paranasal sinuses has not been previously discussed in the literature. ( info) |