Clinical characteristics and outcome in patients with isolated sphenoid sinus aspergilloma

Isolated sphenoid sinus aspergilloma (ISSA) is a rare disorder that is difficult to diagnose in a timely manner. These lesions can also extend to adjacent structures and thereby cause severe complications. ISSA patients with orbital complications typically have a poor prognosis even when surgical interventions have been successful. We here reviewed 30 ISSA cases with respect to clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes.

A group of 30 patients diagnosed with ISSA between January 1990 and October 2010 were retrospectively reviewed in terms of clinical manifestations, endoscopic findings, radiologic imaging data, and treatment results. We also compared the clinical manifestations and treatment results between patients with and without orbital complications.

Old age (median, 55 years) and a female predominance (23 women in the study) were noted. The most commonly reported symptom was headache (80%) and the average duration of the symptoms before diagnosis was 8.1 months. On radiologic examination, including CT and MRI scans, 13 patients showed bony wall erosions and five patients demonstrated orbital complications including diplopia and visual loss. The appearance of a bony wall erosion on a CT scan and the acute onset of ISSA symptoms were found to be significant factors in the onset of orbital complications (P=0.003 in each case). Endoscopic sphenoidotomy was performed in all 30 cases. Most of the preoperative symptoms among the patients, including headache, facial pain, and postnasal drip, were improved after surgery. Among the five patients in the study group with orbital complications, diplopia was completely resolved after surgery in each case but there was no improvement in visual loss.

An early diagnosis of ISSA, although not easy, is important to prevent complications arising from extensions of these lesions beyond the sphenoid sinus. Our present study demonstrates that ISSA could be effectively treated with an endoscopic sphenoidotomy, and that timely intervention is needed in patients with a sinus bony wall to prevent irreversible complications such as visual loss.