Optic canal mucocele from anterior clinoid pneumatisation

Anterior clinoid mucocoele presenting as progressive fluctuating visual loss mimicking inflammatory optic neuropathy

Optic nerve lesions usually produce monocular visual loss, and in compressive optic neuropathies, gradual vision loss is the more usual presentation. Mucocele in the anterior clinoid process is a rare cause of compressive optic neuropathy that can lead to monocular visual loss. A 19-year-old Sri Lankan girl presented with progressive, painless fluctuating right-sided monocular visual loss over 1-year duration. On presentation, right side visual acuity was 6/60 and fundoscopy revealed pale disk on the right side. Ocular tomography showed right-sided temporal retinal thinning. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed right anterior clinoid process mucocele causing compression and kinking of the right optic nerve. Because the right side, optic disc was already pale and retina was thinned, we decided to manage conservatively. Early imaging in compressive optic neuropathy is useful for the diagnosis and early neurosurgical intervention. Delaying the diagnosis can lead to permanent visual loss.

A case report of unrecovered monocular vision loss after anterior clinoid mucocele resection

Purpose

To describe a patient of anterior clinoid mucocele presenting with orbital apex syndrome and to propose the reason for her unrecovered monocular vision loss after operation, we hope this case report can provide treatment experience for the similar rare disease.

Conclusions and Importance

Mucocele of the anterior clinoid process remains a rare cause of optic neuropathy. They usually present with acute, rapidly progressive, painless monocular visual loss. Urgent surgical decompression play a vital role in the recovery of neurological function.

Anterior Clinoid Metastasis Removed Extradurally: First Case Report

Background  We report a case of isolated metastasis on the anterior clinoid process (ACP) mimicking meningioma.

Clinical Presentation  A 58-year-old male presented with headaches, right-sided visual disturbances, and blurred and double vision. The cause of double vision was partial weakness of the right III nerve, resulting from compression of the nerve by “hypertrophied” tumor-involved right anterior clinoid. Medical history revealed two primary malignant tumors—male breast cancer and prostate cancer (diagnosed 6 and 18 months prior, respectively). The patient was treated with chemotherapy and showed no signs of active disease, recurrence, or metastasis. Postcontrast head magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed extra-axial well-bordered enhancing mass measuring 1.6 × 1.1 × 1 × 1 cm (anteroposterior, transverse, and craniocaudal dimensions) on the ACP, resembling a clinoidal meningioma. Extradural clinoidectomy with tumor resection was performed via right orbitozygomatic pretemporal skull base approach. Visual symptoms improved. Follow-up MRI showed no signs of tumor residual or recurrence.

Conclusion  This is the first case report of a metastasis of any kind on ACP. Metastasis should be included as a part of the differential diagnosis of lesions of the anterior clinoid. Extradural clinoidectomy is a safe and effective method in the treatment of these tumors.

Anterior clinoid mucocele causing optic neuropathy: A case report and review of literature

A 66 year old Indian gentleman presented with a 3 days history of headache and gradual progressive loss of vision in his eft eye, ophthalmological assessment showed no light perception in his left eye with papilledema and afferent papillary defect. Computed tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) were done and showed an expanding lesion in the left anterior clinoid process encroaching upon the left orbital apex and optic nerve with features suggestive of a mucocele. Patient was started on dexamethasone, and urgent craniotomy was undertaken, where marsupialization and resection of left anterior clinoid mucocele was done, and histopathologic examination of the operative specimen was consistent with a mucocele. Post-operatively, patient was kept on dexamethasone for few days, with uneventful outcome, and his follow up at 6 months showed complete recovery of his vision from no light perception to 6/12 in the affected eye.

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Anterior clinoid mucocele should be considered as one the differential diagnosis for optic neuropathy.

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CT/MRI should be done as part of workup in patients presenting with acute onset optic neuropathy.

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Surgical decompression is recommended over medical management with antibiotics and/or steroids.

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The timely radiological diagnosis and immediate surgical decompression was crucial to achieve for full recovery of vision.

Recurrent Optic Neuropathy Caused by a Mucocele of the Anterior Clinoid Process after a 5-Year Remission: A Case Report and Literature Review

A 32-year-old male presented with acute left vision loss during a second recurrence of optic neuropathy. Steroid pulse therapy had been effective in both the first episode 9 years previously and the first recurrence 5 years previously. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated an anterior clinoid process mucocele compressing the optic nerve. Although surgical treatment was performed, improvement was limited. This report indicates that steroid pulse therapy could be an alternative treatment to obtain temporary remission, but surgical treatment should be considered to prevent irreversible neurological deficits. This paper also presents a review of the literature on anterior clinoid process mucoceles.

Anterior clinoid mucocele presenting with orbital apex syndrome

Background:

Pneumatized anterior clinoid process is a common anatomic variant. Mucocele formation is a known complication of clinoid drilling during certain intracranial operations; however, mucoceles of pneumatized anterior clinoid processes have been found to spontaneously occur.

Case Description:

A 44-year-old male presented with complaints of left-sided retro-orbital pain, double vision, and numbness over the upper face and scalp on the left side of 1-week duration. On examination, he was found to develop cranial nerve III, IV, and VI palsies with pupillary sparing, ophthalmic division cranial nerve V dysfunction, and eventually, the onset of vision loss.

Conclusions:

We report a case of spontaneous anterior clinoid process mucocele presenting with orbital apex syndrome. This was treated successfully with anterior clinoidectomy for decompression.

Compressive Optic Neuropathy Caused by Orbital Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Purpose. To present a unique case of Non-Hodgkin's-Lymphoma- (NHL) associated compressive optic neuropathy. Method. An 89-year-old male presenting with acute unilateral visual loss and headache. Results. Patient was initially diagnosed with occult giant cell arteritis; however after visual acuity deteriorated despite normal inflammatory markers, an urgent MRI scan revealed an extensive paranasal sinus mass compressing the optic nerve. Conclusion. Paranasal sinus malignancies occasionally present to the ophthalmologist with signs of optic nerve compression and must be included in the differential diagnosis of acute visual loss.

Unilateral ophthalmoplegia secondary to anterior clinoid process mucocele

A 50-year-old Chinese man presented with rapidly progressive unilateral ophthalmoplegia and then an ipsilateral afferent pupil defect. CT and MRI revealed a mass centered in the anterior clinoid process causing bone destruction and showing high T1 and T2 signal intensity indicative of mucosal protein secretion. These imaging features suggested a mucocele, which may have resulted from sequestration of a clinoidal extension of the sphenoid sinus. The sphenoid sinus was opened via an image-guided endoscopic approach, and the lesion incised. There were no complications. The ophthalmoplegia and afferent pupil defect had completely resolved within 1 week of surgery. This is the eighth reported case of anterior clinoidal mucocele, a rare cause of ophthalmoplegia or optic neuropathy. Advances in endoscopic instrumentation, navigation systems, and intraoperative imaging have reduced the operative risk and made the endoscopic approach a feasible and safer alternative to open surgery for this condition.

Complete recovery of acute monocular visual loss following endoscopic resection of anterior clinoid mucocele: case report and review of the literature

Mucoceles are chronic non-neoplastic cystic lesions lined by mucus-secreting respiratory epithelium in the paranasal sinuses. Mucocele of the anterior clinoid process is a particularly rare entity most often presenting with rapidly progressive monocular blindness. The authors describe the case of a 32 year-old man who presented with acute painless visual loss in the left eye. Workup revealed an expansile lesion of the left anterior clinoid process with associated optic nerve compression. The patient underwent emergent endoscopic-assisted transnasal decompression of the optic nerve with full recovery of visual function. Early diagnosis and prompt surgical intervention optimizes the chances of functional regain of visual acuity.

Sight-threatening optic neuropathy is associated with paranasal lymphoma

Malignant lymphoma around the orbit is very rare. We present a rare case of optic neuropathy caused by lymphoma. A 61-year-old Japanese woman was referred to our hospital for evaluation of idiopathic optic neuropathy affecting her right eye. The patient was treated with steroid pulse therapy (methyl-predonisolone 1 g daily for 3 days) with a presumed diagnosis of idiopathic optic neuritis. After she had been switched to oral steroid therapy, endoscopic sinus surgery had been performed, which revealed diffuse large B cell lymphoma of the ethmoidal sinus. Although R-CHOP therapy was immediately started, prolonged optic nerve compression resulted in irreversible blindness. Accordingly, patients with suspected idiopathic optic neuritis should be carefully assessed when they show a poor response, and imaging of the orbits and brain should always be done for initial diagnosis because they may have compression by a tumor.

[Compressive optic neuropathy related to an anterior clinoid mucocele]

Nasal sinus mucoceles are an uncommon cause of painful optic neuropathy. We report the case of a patient presenting an acute compressive optic neuropathy related to an anterior clinoid mucocele. The diagnosis was mainly made with CT and MRI, and the patient was treated with endoscopic endonasal transseptal surgery 10 days after the beginning of the disorder. Visual recovery was complete 3 days later. We review the literature on the etiologies of this type of pathology, the work-up, and the possible treatments.

Anterior clinoid mucocele coexisting with sphenoid sinus mucocele

An anterior clinoid mucocele, known to be extremely rare, can lead to visual complications due to its proximity to the optic nerve. We report a patient who developed visual disturbance due to an anterior clinoid mucocele. Interestingly, the anterior clinoid mucocele coexisted with a sphenoid sinus mucocele. When an anterior clinoid mucocele coexists with a sphenoid sinus mucocele, more deliberate diagnostic and therapeutic approaches must be considered according to our first experience.

Anterior clinoid mucocele causing acute monocular blindness

We report a patient who presented with acute painful monocular visual loss reminiscent of idiopathic optic neuritis. After treatment with corticosteroids was commenced, an anterior clinoid mucocele causing compressive optic neuropathy was demonstrated on imaging studies. The diagnosis was proven histopathologically following excision of the lesion via craniotomy. Although very rare as a cause of optic neuropathy, anterior clinoid mucocele should be excluded by adequately imaging the optic canal, as visual prognosis is poor if surgical decompression is not performed in a timely fashion.

Anterior clinoidal mucocele causing optic neuropathy: resolution with nonsurgical therapy. Case report

The rare occurrence of an inflammatory mucocele in a pneumatized anterior clinoid process is described. The patient, a 20-year-old woman, presented with a severe visual field defect in her right eye associated with abnormality in the right anterior clinoid process identified on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Initially, surgical intervention was recommended for resection of a possible neoplasm. The patient's clinical history, however, was significant for sinusitis accompanied by sore throat and right ear infection that resolved with oral antibiotic therapy. When her condition was evaluated approximately 1 month after the onset of her visual symptoms, the patient had regained full visual acuity in the affected eye. Surgical exploration was not required, and the patient's optic neuropathy reversed with appropriate antibiotic therapy.