Sinus is a cavity within a bone. Most are commonly found in the bones of the face. Specially, paranasal sinuses are air cavities in the cranial bones, especially those near the nose. They include the frontal sinuses, the ethmoid sinuses, the sphenoid sinuses and the maxillary sinuses. There are many types of sinus disease. They are classified as acute (quick onset) and chronic (over a long period of time). Besides, there are several other types of sinus diseases due to fungus and polyps. Sinus tumors also happen although it is relatively uncommon. Navigation software for general sinus surgery has been developed and are being used in the operation room. However, there are still many blind regions in the sinus area by using conventional straight type endoscope and devices. To cope with such a problem, flexible endoscope and devices are being developed along with advanced navigation algorithms. In this review, many research activities associated with computer-aided sinus surgery are discussed.
Endoscopes ; Ethmoid Sinus ; Frontal Sinus ; Fungi ; Maxillary Sinus ; Nose ; Paranasal Sinuses ; Polyps ; Sphenoid Sinus

Sinus is a cavity within a bone. Most are commonly found in the bones of the face. Specially, paranasal sinuses are air cavities in the cranial bones, especially those near the nose. They include the frontal sinuses, the ethmoid sinuses, the sphenoid sinuses and the maxillary sinuses. There are many types of sinus disease. They are classified as acute (quick onset) and chronic (over a long period of time). Besides, there are several other types of sinus diseases due to fungus and polyps. Sinus tumors also happen although it is relatively uncommon. Navigation software for general sinus surgery has been developed and are being used in the operation room. However, there are still many blind regions in the sinus area by using conventional straight type endoscope and devices. To cope with such a problem, flexible endoscope and devices are being developed along with advanced navigation algorithms. In this review, many research activities associated with computer-aided sinus surgery are discussed.
Endoscopes ; Ethmoid Sinus ; Frontal Sinus ; Fungi ; Maxillary Sinus ; Nose ; Paranasal Sinuses ; Polyps ; Sphenoid Sinus

Olfactory neuroblastoma is a rare malignant tumor of the nasal cavity arising from the olfactory neuroepithelium. It usually present as a polypoid mass in the superior nasal cavity including the cribriform plate, superior turbinate, and superior portion of nasal septum. The development of olfactory neuroblastoma outside of the region, in which olfactory epithelium exists, is exceedingly rare. In this report, we present an interesting case of an isolated sphenoid sinus olfactory neuroblastoma with a brief review of the literature.
Esthesioneuroblastoma, Olfactory ; Ethmoid Bone ; Nasal Cavity ; Nasal Septum ; Olfactory Mucosa ; Sphenoid Sinus ; Turbinates

The primary malignant melanoma of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses is extremely rare and accounts for only between 0.6 and 2.5% of the total number of malignant melanoma at all sites. In the nose, the left side is involved in 60% of cases and the most frequent site is the septum followed by the inferior and middle turbinates. In the sinuses, the maxillary sinus is the site of origin 80% of cases, followed by ethmoid sinus. The tumors are sessile or polypoid, with variable color such as pink, white, brown or blank. Of all tumors, 10-30% are amelanotic, requiring special stains for melanin. When primary site of melanoma is mucosal origin, treatment of primary lesion is often hampered by anatomic restrictions and large size, which results from the delayed diagnosis caused by their location. We report 4 cases of primary malignant melanoma of nasal cavity with review of literature.
Coloring Agents ; Delayed Diagnosis ; Ethmoid Sinus ; Maxillary Sinus ; Melanins ; Melanoma* ; Nasal Cavity* ; Nose ; Paranasal Sinuses ; Turbinates

Sinonasal cancers account for less than 1% of all malignancies and comprise 3% of all head and neck malignancies. The most common malignant neoplasm in the sinuses and nose is squamous cell carcinoma, which accounts for 70% of these neoplasms. Most of these arise in the maxillary antrum, and only 10% to 30% occur in the nasal cavity or ethmoid sinus. It is well known the surgery is primary treatment for sinonasal malignancies. Adjunctive irradiation and/or chemoradiatioin has resulted in improved locoregional control and increased survival rates. The goal of surgical resection is to remove the cancer en bloc, with clear margin devoid of neoplastic cells. For maxillary sinus neoplasms, maxillectomy is a standard surgical procedure. Neoplasms involving the ethmoid, frontal, or sphenoid sinuses may require a craniofacial approach because of frequent invasion into the skull base. The proximity of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses to the adjacent structures including the orbit, dura, brain, cranial nerves, and carotid arteries mandates careful radiologic and neurologic evaluations throughout the course of the disease. Surgical advances now permit complex tumor removal and reconstruction surrounding these structures resulting in functional and cosmetic improvements when compared to earlier techniques.
Brain ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Carotid Arteries ; Cranial Nerves ; Ethmoid Sinus ; Head ; Maxillary Sinus ; Maxillary Sinus Neoplasms ; Methods ; Nasal Cavity ; Neck ; Nose ; Orbit ; Paranasal Sinuses ; Skull Base ; Sphenoid Sinus ; Survival Rate

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to compare the clinical outcomes according to surgical approach of extranasal, endonasal endoscopic, and a combined approach of the two, suggesting the indication of each surgical approach for excision of sinonasal inverted papilloma (IP). SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Fifty-six IP patients who had been operated at the department of Otorhinolaryngology, Pusan National University Hospital from January, 1995 to March, 2001 were retrospectively assessed. The patients were arbitrarily divided into three groups such as excision through extranasal approach (EEA), endonasal endoscopic excision (EEE), and EEE combined with Caldwell-Luc's approach (EEE+C-L) group. RESULTS: The most commonly affected sites by CT/MRI preoperatively was the nasal cavity followed in the decreasing order of frequency by maxillary, ethmoid, sphenoid, and frontal sinus. In the EEA group, the originated sites were the nasal cavity (2/6), maxillary (1/6), and frontal sinus (2/6). In the EEE group, the origin sites by operative findings were the nasal cavity (30/41), maxillary (5/41), sphenoid (3/41), and ethmoid (2/41) sinus. In the EEE+C-L group, eight cases (8/9) originated from the maxillary sinus. There were six cases associated with malignant tumors, five synchronous and one metachronous, treated combined with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. A total of eight cases recurred during the follow-up period. The recurrence rate was 16.6% (1/6) in EEA, 14.6% (6/41) in EEE and 10.1% (1/9) in EEE+C-L group, and there was no significant difference according to surgical approaches. CONCLUSION: EEE yielded a successful outcome only when the IP was limited to the originating sites of nasal cavity, medial and upper wall of maxillary sinus, ethmoid sinus, and sphenoid sinus. The complete removal of the tumor by EEE alone could not be achieved when the tumor was originated from the anterior, inferior, and posterolateral wall of maxillary sinus, requiring application of C-L's approach at the same time. EEA can be used with more benefits than EEE when the tumor is originated from the frontal sinus or when the mass tends to invade extensively.
Busan ; Drug Therapy ; Endoscopy ; Ethmoid Sinus ; Follow-Up Studies ; Frontal Sinus ; Humans ; Maxillary Sinus ; Nasal Cavity ; Otolaryngology ; Papilloma, Inverted* ; Paranasal Sinuses ; Radiotherapy ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Sphenoid Sinus

Osteoma is a slow-growing benign tumor composed of mature bone. Osteoma of the nose and paranasal sinuses is usually asymptomatic and most commonly occurs in the frontal sinus, followed by the ethmoidal and maxillary sinus. The occurrence in the sphenoidal sinus and nasal cavity is very rare. We present a case report of a patient with an isolated osteoma in the right nasal cavity presenting with nasal obstruction.
Frontal Sinus ; Humans ; Maxillary Sinus ; Nasal Cavity* ; Nasal Obstruction ; Nose ; Osteoma* ; Paranasal Sinuses

Olfactory neuroblastoma is a relatively uncommon malignant tumor originating from neuroectoderm and it usually arises from the superior portion of the nasal cavity, such as superior turbinate, superior part of septum, or cribriform plate. Cases of olfactory neuroblastoma from sphenoid sinus, in which olfactory epithelium rarely exists, have been rarely reported. Although nasal obstruction and epistaxis are the most common presenting symptoms of olfatory neroblastoma, our patient presented with headache and dizziness. The most common cause of isolated sphenoid lesion is inflammation, but the possibility of tumorous conditions should not be excluded without thorough evaluation. The authors experienced a rare case of olfactory neuroblastoma from sphenoid sinus that had been confused as isolated sphenoid sinusitis. So we report our unusual case with a brief review of literature.
Dizziness ; Epistaxis ; Esthesioneuroblastoma, Olfactory* ; Ethmoid Bone ; Headache ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Nasal Cavity ; Nasal Obstruction ; Neural Plate ; Olfactory Mucosa ; Sphenoid Sinus* ; Sphenoid Sinusitis ; Turbinates

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: An understanding of the cross-sectional structures and histological features of experimental animals is necessary for conducting the research of rhinosinusitis in experimental animals. The aim of this study is to determine the most suitable cross-sectional level of rhinosinusitis in a rat model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study examined the histological features of the mucosal epithelium, gland, lymphoid tissue, and vomeronasal organs using 4 week-old male rats weighing 60-70 g as test subjects. Whole mounted sinus-nose complexes were divided into four levels of areas which were sectioned according to the coronal plane and each section was stained with hematoxylin-eosin and observed under light microscopy. RESULTS: Level I revealed the nasal turbinate, maxilloturbinale, and nasolacrimal duct. Level II revealed the nasal turbinate, maxilloturbinale, vomeronasal organ, and nasolacrimal duct. Level III revealed the ectoturbinale I, II, endoturbinale II, III, maxillary sinus, Steno's gland, maxillary sinus gland, and nasal associated lymphoid tissue (NALT). Level IV revealed the ectoturbinale II, endoturbinale III, IV, pharyx respiratorius, and NALT. The lining epithelia were squamous, respiratory and olfactory. However, the squamous epithelium was not observed in level III and IV. CONCLUSION: The Level III appears to be the most suitable for the rhinosinusitis animal rat model since we can observe the respiratory epithelium lined sinonasal airspace including the maxillary sinus and NALT.
Animals ; Epithelium ; Humans ; Lymphoid Tissue ; Male ; Maxillary Sinus ; Microscopy ; Models, Animal ; Nasal Cavity* ; Nasolacrimal Duct ; Nose ; Paranasal Sinuses* ; Rats* ; Respiratory Mucosa ; Turbinates ; Vomeronasal Organ

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the new surgical pathway of endoscopic frontal sinus surgery for frontal sinus lesions through the upper-agger nasi approach. METHOD: The computed tomography (CT) scans from 32 patients were collected and subjected to three-dimensional reconstruction by Mimics. The distance in sagittal planes from anterior ethmoid artery to midpoint of axilla and to skull base attachment at anterior middle turbinate was measured. The distance in coronal planes between the perpendicular plate of middle turbinate and the orbital lamina was also detected as well as the height of agger nasi. Three-dimensional structures of the frontal sinus and its surrounding cells was reconstructed by Sinuses Trachea I software. We integrated the CT scans and the above data for simulating surgical operation on cadaveric heads. RESULT: (1) Skull base attachment at anterior middle turbinate located at the anterior or posterior of aperture of frontal sinus. (2) The mean distance between anterior ethmoid artery and midpoint of axilla was (22.23 ± 2.78) mm on the left side and (22.30 ± 2.80) mm on right. The mean distance between anterior ethmoid artery and skull base attachment at anterior middle turbinate was (15.31 ± 2.82) mm on left and (15.39 ± 3.53) mm on right. The distance between perpendicular plate of middle turbinate and orbital lamina was (7.61 ± 1.34) mm on left and (7.80 ± 1.40) mm on right side. The height of the agger nasi was (8.33 ± 2.14) mm on left and (8.00 ± 2.57) mm on right. There was no statistical difference in the above data between left and right side (P > 0.05). (3) The visible three-dimensional structure showed that skull base attachment at the anterior middle turbinate was closely adjoined the aperture of frontal sinus, the space between sub-outer side of the attachment and orbital lamina, above the agger nasi cell or the upper area of the agger nasi cell was solely cell structures. CONCLUSION Endoscopic frontal sinus surgery for frontal sinus lesions through the upper-agger nasi approach was practicable to solitary frontal sinus lesions and to solve the complex frontal sinus or frontal recess lesions by flexible operation according to the feature of the lesions.
Axilla ; Bone Plates ; Endoscopy ; Frontal Sinus ; surgery ; Humans ; Nasal Cavity ; Nose ; Paranasal Sinus Neoplasms ; surgery ; Paranasal Sinuses ; Skull Base ; Software ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Trachea ; Turbinates