[Ocular complications in chronic pansinusitis--report of two cases]

Case 1. A 38-year-old male was admitted with an 8-month history of progressive visual disturbance in his right eye. He had a past history of operations for paranasal sinusitis 24 years and 5 years prior to admission. Neurological examination revealed right anosmia, left hyposmia and vision in his right eye reducing to light perception. Case 2. A 61-year-old male was admitted with complaint of headache and a 2-month history of deteriorating vision in his right eye. On admission, vision in his right eye was found to be reduced to hand motions and associated with a concentric contraction of the visual field. Bilateral hyposmia and the right exophthalmos were also noticed. Plain x-ray films, tomography and especially CT scan were useful to demonstrate the definite inflammatory changes of the paranasal sinuses and the extension of the lesion beyond the confines of the sinuses. In both cases, external ethmoidectomy and sphenoidectomy with removal of the infected granulation tissue from the sinuses were performed, but neither mucocele nor pyocele was found. Vision improved postoperatively. Previous reports about ocular complications of infection in the paranasal sinuses without mucocele or pyocele are few. Early diagnosis of ocular complications of sinusitis is important. Once the diagnosis established, a timely surgical approach is essential to prevent visual loss.