Sphenoethmoidal mucocele masquerading as trochlear palsy

Optic neuropathy related to Onodi cell mucocele: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

<abstract><sec> <title>Background</title> <p>Onodi cells (OC) are important for rhinologists because they contain the optic canal, and are close to the optic nerve and internal carotid artery. Therefore, any pathologic processes within OCs, including infectious or inflammatory sinusitis, fungus ball, inverted papilloma, mucocele, or sino-nasal malignancy can cause devastating ophthalmologic complications. We aimed to define the different optic neuropathy conditions related to isolated OC mucoceles, determine the different symptoms of each condition and its risk factors, and explore the efficacy of the relevant diagnostic tools and treatment strategies.</p> </sec><sec> <title>Methodology</title> <p>A comprehensive electronic search with time and language restrictions was conducted. Several known databases were included: PubMed, The Cochrane Library, and Web of Science from 1990 to 2020. We combined the search terms and limited the study to the English language. We removed duplicates, and the articles were screened based on title, abstract, and full text according to the PRISMA checklist.</p> </sec><sec> <title>Results</title> <p>The electronic search strategy conducted in this review resulted in 409 hits. After removing duplicate studies and studies with inadequate information, 20 case studies were finally included in this analysis, 65% of which presented men (n = 13), and seven presented women (35%). The mean age reported in these studies was 54.75 with a standard deviation of 14.62 years. We found that visual disturbances that can lead to visual loss were present in most cases (75% of cases). Other symptoms included headache (35%) and eye pain (30%). The risk factors for developing optic neuropathy conditions related to OC mucoceles include being Asian and elderly with a history of either nasal or eye conditions. Our findings showed that the mean time between the onset of symptoms and intervention was 16.8 ± 21.8 days. Most patients underwent endoscopic sinus surgery to remove the OC mucocele (18/20; 90%) with a success rate of 77%. Pharmacologic intervention as a solo treatment (IV corticosteroids or /and antibiotic) was used in only six patients, with a success rate of only 33%. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the most commonly used diagnostic tools, with diagnostic success rates of 40% and 82.3%, respectively.</p> </sec><sec> <title>Conclusion</title> <p>Optic neuropathy conditions related to OC mucoceles are very rare. However, a higher incidence of these conditions was observed in elderly Asian patients with a history of nasal or optic conditions. Visual disturbances are the most common symptoms accompanying any type of eye condition. Endoscopic sinus surgery is considered an effective and safe intervention for these patients, and the period between the onset of symptoms and surgery does not affect the outcomes of the surgery. Furthermore, treatment with corticosteroids and/or antibiotics cannot replace surgery and it can also worsen the condition. Moreover, MRI is superior to CT scans for demonstrating this abnormality, and both are superior to other diagnostic tools. Finally, further investigations should be conducted to study the causes of the low incidence of these conditions in the eastern region.</p> </sec></abstract>

Paranasal sinus mucoceles with ophthalmologic manifestations: a 17-year review of 96 cases

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to assess the characteristics of paranasal sinus mucoceles with ophthalmologic manifestations with a focus on optic neuropathy.

METHODS

From January 1993 to May 2010, 96 consecutive patients diagnosed with paranasal sinus mucoceles with ophthalmologic manifestations were investigated. Clinical and therapeutic factors and demographics were reviewed from medical records. Statistical associations between clinical and therapeutic factors and visual outcomes after surgery were also analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 352 patients were diagnosed with paranasal sinus mucoceles and underwent surgical treatment. Ninety-six of them presented with ophthalmologic symptoms, and periorbital swelling and pain were the most common symptoms (36.4%) in those patients. Among the 96 patients with ophthalmologic manifestations, 18 (18.8%) were diagnosed with optic neuropathy based on the deterioration of their visual acuity and unilateral relative afferent papillary defect. Ten of these 18 patients showed improvements in their vision after surgical intervention. The statistical analysis of the association between clinical and therapeutic factors and visual outcomes showed that the presence of infection was the only significant factor (p = 0.023).

CONCLUSION

Paranasal sinus mucoceles present various ophthalmologic manifestations. Among them, optic neuropathy may be one of the most devastating conditions. In treating optic neuropathy caused by mucoceles, the presence of infection was the only factor that had any influence on postoperative visual outcomes. Therefore, we conclude that not only surgical drainage and ventilation of the sinus are necessary, but infection control is also a vital factor in treating mucoceles with optic neuropathy.

Ethmoidal mucocele presenting as oculomotor nerve paralysis

A 56-year-old male was admitted with an acute headache and sudden ptosis on the right side. No ophthalmological or neurological etiologies were apparent. A mucocele of the right posterior ethmoid sinus was observed with radiology. After the marsupialization of the mucocele via a transnasal endoscopic approach, the patient's symptoms (oculomotor nerve paralysis and headache) resolved in 4 weeks. Oculomotor paralysis is a rare symptom of an ethmoidal mucocele. In this article, we report this rare case along with a literature review.