Bilateral stage I chronic maxillary atelectasis: A case report

Post-traumatic Sinus Syndrome, Proposal for a New Clinical Entity (CDR Syndrome) as Variant of the Silent Sinus Syndrome: Systematic Review and Case Series

The diagnostic criteria for silent sinus syndrome (SSS) are still controversial, especially for the post-traumatic/surgery cases that are, nowadays, excluded from the diagnosis of SSS because lacking of spontaneously. We present a systematic review of the last 10 years and our case series of SSS associated to previous trauma/surgery, proposing a new interpretation of SSS. In this work, following the PRISMA guide lines for systematic reviews, we collected 86 articles published on PubMed, Cochrane Library and Medline Plus since 2013 to 2023 about SSS. We divided them in six groups forming the structure of the review: (1) epidemiology, (2) clinical presentation, (3) imaging, (4) etiopathogenesis, (5) sss and craniofacial trauma and (6) treatment. We reported two explicative clinical cases: two men of 34 and 37 years old, involved in motorcycle accident in 2020 and 2014, respectively, and underwent surgery. They came back in 2023 referring diplopia documented by Hess-Lancaster test. CT-scan reported two clear cases of SSS. Basing on what is reported in literature, and basing on our experience, the post-traumatic/surgery SSS are more frequent than the idiopathic ones. Our proposal is to considered them as two individual entities. We propose to adopt the name of Post-traumatic sinus syndrome, or CDR syndrome (Catalfamo-De Rinaldis), for all cases that respect four specific diagnostic criteria reported into the text.

Surgical Advances in the Management of the Silent Sinus Syndrome: Our Experience and Review of the Literature

Silent sinus syndrome is a rare disorder characterized by ipsilateral enophthalmos and hypoglobus caused by collapse of the orbital floor in the presence of asymptomatic long-term maxillary sinusitis. The basic principles in the management are to address the diseased sinus and reconstruct the orbit concurrently or separately. Failure to accurately restore the orbit volume can have significant consequences on the patient. In this article, we provide an update on current practices and highlight our experience of using computer-assisted planning and patient-specific implant in managing this syndrome.

Bilateral Silent Sinus (Imploding Antrum) Syndrome

Silent sinus syndrome, also termed imploding antrum syndrome, describes spontaneous enophthalmos arising from contracture of the maxillary sinus in the complete absence of any symptomatic sinonasal disease. The unusual nasal structure that probably causes the condition renders its occurrence almost exclusively unilateral. The authors describe a patient with left silent sinus syndrome, who presented 4 years later with right silent sinus syndrome; to the authors' knowledge, this is only the second case of bilateral sequential silent sinus syndrome. Each side was successfully managed with endoscopic antrostomy and secondary orbital floor repair.

Chronic maxillary atelectasis (including silent sinus syndrome) can present bilaterally

OBJECTIVE

Chronic maxillary atelectasis is a rare and underdiagnosed condition in which there is a persistent and progressive decrease in maxillary sinus volume secondary to inward bowing of the antral walls. Chronic maxillary atelectasis is typically unilateral. Simultaneous bilateral chronic maxillary atelectasis is extremely uncommon.

METHODS

A retrospective review was performed of patient data collected by the senior clinician over a three-year period (2015-2018). A comprehensive literature search was conducted to locate all documented cases of chronic maxillary atelectasis in English-language literature. Abstracts and full-text articles were reviewed.

RESULTS

Three patients presented with sinonasal symptoms. Imaging findings were consistent with bilateral chronic maxillary atelectasis. The literature review revealed at least nine other cases of bilateral chronic maxillary atelectasis. Management is typically via endoscopic middle meatus antrostomy.

CONCLUSION

Chronic maxillary atelectasis was initially defined as a unilateral disorder, but this description has been challenged by reports of bilateral cases. Further investigation is required to determine the aetiology and pathophysiology of the disease.

Bilateral silent sinus syndrome: A rare case and review of literature

Objective:

In this report, we presented a rare case of bilateral silent sinus syndrome (SSS) in an otherwise healthy 57-year-old man treated with functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). A systematic review of the literature regarding bilateral SSS was performed.

Case Report:

A 57-year-old man with well-controlled allergic rhinitis in the absence of previous surgery or trauma presented with bilateral SSS, which was successfully managed with bilateral FESS.

Methods:

A medical literature data base search of the terms “silent sinus syndrome” “maxillary atelectasis,” “imploding antrum syndrome,” and “bilateral silent sinus syndrome” was performed. The results were then narrowed to include only relevant articles.

Results:

Relevant articles included three case reports and two articles that describe or mention bilateral SSS. Of the three case reports found, two patients presented with bilateral SSS, whereas the third patient presented metachronously, with the contralateral SSS manifesting 4 months after presentation of the initial ipsilateral SSS.

Conclusion:

The present literature regarding bilateral SSS is likely incomplete, and further investigation is required to provide greater insight into the prevalence of this disease. In this report, bilateral FESS was successful in resolving symptoms and preventing disease progression.