Mucoceles of ethmoid and sphenoid sinus with visual disturbance

In the period from 1980 through 1989, we treated 25 (20 postoperative and five primary) cases of mucoceles of the posterior ethmoidal sinus and/or sphenoidal sinus accompanied by visual disturbances. The postoperative mucocele developed 15 to 25 years after initial surgery. Manifestations of mucoceles include headache, ophthalmalgia, double vision, and exophthalmos in addition to a decrease in visual acuity. The degree of improvement in visual acuity after an operation depends on visual acuity before the operation, the mode of development of the mucocele, and the time from onset of the disease until surgery. Opening the mucocele by an endonasal approach using an endoscope is recommended as the radical form of therapy.