[Paranasal sinus mucoceles: surgical management and long term results]

The aim of this study was to determine the best surgical approach in the treatment of paranasal sinus mucoceles according to their localization.

A retrospective analysis was carried out in 255 patients with 290 sinus mucoceles who were treated surgically at the ENT-Department of the Hospital Fulda gAG between 1983 and 2001. This series include 125 frontal sinus, 23 frontoethmoid, 41 ethmoid, 72 maxillary sinus and 26 sphenoid mucoceles. The patients' history, presenting symptoms, radiological findings, and surgical management were reviewed. Of them, 185 patients were followed by endoscopic and CT or MRI control during a period of up to 19 years, median follow-up was 12 years.

In 168 out of 255 patients (66 %) the mucoceles were arisen due to previous sinus surgery, in 37 cases (14 %) after traumatic lesions, in 5 patients (2 %) due to chronic sinusitis and in 2 cases (<1 %) according to tumors. In 43 cases (17 %) no causes were found. In 78.8 % the previous operation was performed via an external approach, either according to Jansen/Ritter or Caldwell-Luc, contrary to 1.5 % after endonasal surgery. The median period until mucocele appearance was 15 years for maxillary sinus, 13 years for frontoethmoid, 10 years for ethmoid, and 8 years for frontal and sphenoid sinus celes, respectively. 201 mucoceles (69.3 %) have been operated endonasal micro-endoscopically, 18.6 % via the osteoplastic approach, 10 % endoscopically combined with an osteoplastic procedure and only 2 % according to Jansen/Ritter. Thereafter, recurrence of mucoceles was found in 4 patients only ( = 2.2 %; related to the endonasal approach = 1.6 %).

Frontoethmoidal, ethmoidal, sphenoidal and maxillary sinus mucoceles are excellent indication for exclusively endonasal micro-endoscopic surgery. The osteoplastic approach combined with endonasal surgery is suitable in far lateral located frontal or maxillary sinus mucoceles.