Cholesterol crystals in the temporal bone and the paranasal sinuses

In order to study the manifestation and genesis of cholesterol deposits in the temporal bone and the paranasal sinuses, 137 temporal bones and 3 paranasal sinuses with deposits were examined. For histological study, 1036 specimens were obtained from temporal bones, and 16 specimens were obtained from paranasal sinuses. Several stages of a progressive foreign body reaction, including the appearance of histiocytes, granuloma formation and the development of granulation into scar tissue, were observed depending on the size and form of the crystals. Many large deposits were found in the temporal bones of patients with chronic non-suppurative lesions. Blue eardrum and hemotympanum were seen in the last stage of this foreign body reaction in these patients. Small deposits were found in the temporal bones and the paranasal sinuses of patients with chronic suppurative lesions. Most of these deposits were found in the obstructed parts. The pathogenesis of the cholesterol deposits is suspected to be fatty degeneration of the connective tissue.     

鼻窦胆固醇肉芽肿24例

目的探讨鼻窦胆固醇肉芽肿患者的病因、发病机理以及治疗方法。方法回顾性总结分析1996年3月至2003年3月经手术和病理证实的24例鼻窦胆固醇肉芽肿患者的临床资料。结果24例患者中，术前诊断为慢性鼻窦炎10例，鼻窦黏液囊肿8例，鼻息肉或出血坏死性鼻息肉5例，考虑可能为胆固醇肉芽肿者仅l例。主要症状有鼻塞(20／24)、鼻漏(18／24)、嗅觉减退(10／24)、头痛(7／24)、眼眶痛(5／24)、复视(2／24)等。鼻窦CT及MRI提示为慢性鼻窦炎、鼻窦囊肿以及鼻息肉和(或)黏膜息肉样变。所有病例均因保守治疗无效而采取外科手术治疗，即鼻内镜术或Caldwell-Luc术，仅l例行鼻侧切开术。23例手术效果良好，随访1年以上无复发；仅l例Caldwell-Luc术后2年复发，再次行鼻内镜术，术后3年未复发。结论鼻窦胆固醇肉芽肿的病因主要有三：含气腔通气受阻、引流障碍、含气腔出血。鼻窦胆固醇肉芽肿似乎与鼻窦慢性炎性疾病关系密切，尤其是鼻窦黏液囊肿。术式的选择应根据病变范围和程度来决定，其原则是彻底清除病变，保持鼻窦通畅引流。     

Cholesterol granuloma and aspergilloma of the maxillary sinus

Cholesterol granuloma (CG) of the paranasal sinuses is rare. The proposed mechanisms of initiation are haemorrhage, impaired drainage and obstruction of ventilation. To the best of our knowledge, association of CG with a specific infection has not been described before. We have recently observed CG and aspergilloma of Aspergillus flavus type from the left maxillary sinus of a 58-year-old male patient presenting with nasal obstruction, headache and postnasal discharge. Any causative relationship between the two findings is obscure. The suspected mechanisms underlying aspergilloma and CG of the paranasal sinuses seems similar, since there is obstruction of ventilation and drainage. The cholesterol accumulation cannot be attributed to cellular components or breakdown products of the aspergillus as the major sterol of the plasma membranes of fungi is ergosterol, not cholesterol. Received: 15 February 2000 / Accepted: 31 October 2000     

Cholesterol granuloma in thyroglossal cysts: a clinicopathological study

Thyroglossal duct cyst (TDC) is a congenital anomaly caused by retention of epithelial remnants from the descent of the thyroid gland during embryological development. Cholesterol granuloma represents a granulomatous reaction to precipitates of cholesterol crystals in tissue, usually related to middle-ear disease. The association of TDC with cholesterol granuloma has hardly been reported. This study describes five patients with TDC and cholesterol granuloma over a 16-year-period. The treatment consisted of excision of the TDC and the mid-portion of the hyoid bone and excision of a core of tissue between the hyoid bone and the foramen cecum (Sistrunk procedure). We speculate that the pathogenesis of cholesterol granuloma in TDC resembles that in the paranasal sinuses, as both sites provide a closed, poorly ventilated hollow structure with slow drainage. Our five patients accounted for 13% of all patients with TDC treated in our center during the same period, indicating that cholesterol granuloma in TDC may not be as rare as previously thought.     

Heterotopic salivary tissue and branchial sinuses

Heterotopic salivary tissue and branchial sinuses occur not infrequently (Goodman et al., 1981; Stingle and Priebe, 1974), caused probably by heteroplasia within remnants of the second cleft (Stingle, 1974). Bilateral lesions which presented clinically as branchial cleft sinuses have been removed from a patient's neck; both of them proved to be branchial cleft sinuses with elements of salivary tissue. The paper describes salivary tissue and branchial sinuses along the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle on both sides of the neck and bilateral preauricular fistulae occurring in a boy and probably in his sister.     

Paranasal sinus exostoses: Possible correlation with cold temperature nasal irrigation after endoscopic sinus surgery

Exostoses of the external auditory canal (EEAC) are a commonly encountered clinical exam finding; however, exostoses in other locations are vanishingly rare. The postoperative paranasal sinuses are penetrated with cold water solutions, the reputed etiological agent for EEAC, and development of exostoses in this unexpected location may be observed endoscopically. The surprising appearance of these protuberant lesions within the sinuses could be mistaken for more ominous processes, subjecting the patient to biopsy, surgery, or unnecessary medical therapy. The radiologic appearance of exostoses within the paranasal sinuses is herein reported for the first time, and care is taken to distinguish these bony lesions from the osteoneogenesis of chronic inflammation. Laryngoscope, 2013     

Metastases to the paranasal sinuses: case report and review of the literature

The case of an 87-year old man with widespread prostatic cancer is reported. During the autopsy macroscopically visible metastases were found within the frontal sinuses. These tumor masses destroyed the posterior osseous wall of the frontal sinus and formed polypoid bulging masses. In contrast to the macroscopically unaffected mucous membrane of the sphenoid sinus the maceration specimen of the skull base demonstrated a spongious-mossy, osteoplastic metastasis, lining the sphenoid sinus like a tapestry. This affection started from an exhaustive osteoplastic metastasis within the clivus. No metastases could be found in both antrums or the ethmoids. Retrospectively no symptoms from the paranasal sinuses could be eruated, only occasional pain of the frontal bone. The review of the world literature with 123 reports revealed 169 cases. Renal cell carcinomas most frequently metastasize into the paranasal sinuses (67 cases), followed by bronchogenic carcinomas (15 cases). Thyroid cancers and cancers of the mammary gland are responsible for 13 respectively 14 cases. The prostate also adds 12 cases. The paranasal sinuses are affected in diminishing frequency: maxillary sinus (55 cases), sphenoid sinus (37 cases), ethmoidal cells (23 cases) and frontal sinus (15 cases). In 38 cases exhaustive metastases affecting two or more paranasal sinuses are reported. The statement of literature, that metastases affecting the paranasal sinuses are much more frequent than reported, cannot be supported by our study, because the intensive autoptic investigation of 50 skulls of patients suffering from widespread cancers revealed no further cases of metastatic processes of the paranasal sinuses.     

Cholesterol granuloma of the paranasal sinuses

Cholesterol granulomata of the middle ear occasionally accompany chronic middle-ear diseases with diminished ventilation. In the paranasal sinuses, especially in the frontal sinus, they have occasionally been mentioned in the literature. Disordered ventilation and impaired drainage are decisive pathogenic factors in the causation of cholesterol granuloma. Views remain divided on the source of the cholesterol and on the importance of bleeding in the development of cholesterol granuloma. Two patients with a cholesterol granuloma of the frontal sinus are presented and discussed.     

Survey anatomy of the paranasal sinuses in the normal mouse

OBJECTIVE: To provide researchers with a survey atlas of normal paranasal sinus anatomy in the mouse as well as to standardize the reporting of data within the murine nose and sinuses. STUDY DESIGN: Histologic and radiographic study in mice. METHODS: C57BL/6 mice were killed and their heads sectioned in the axial and coronal planes as well as imaged using a small animal micro-computed tomography (CT) scanner. Distinctive regions within the nose and paranasal sinuses were delineated and labeled A to G for identification. RESULTS: Definable regions within the normal murine nose and paranasal sinuses include A) the nasal airway, B) the superior nasal vault, C) the osteomeatal complex, D) the anterior ethmoid sinuses, E) the posterior ethmoid sinuses, F) the true maxillary sinus, and G) the secondary maxillary sinus. Mice also possess discernible sphenoid sinuses. CT scans confirmed the histologic plane of section. CONCLUSIONS: A survey atlas of normal murine sinonasal anatomy shall provide laboratories seeking to use mice in sinus research a reference for beginning their work. As new transgenic and gene knockout mice become available, phenotypic changes in sinonasal architecture can be more easily discerned using such a reference. Defining specific regions (A-G) within the sinuses will standardize the nomenclature used for reporting data.     

The rationale for the efficacious puncture therapy of acute suppurative sinusitis in the children

The objective of the present study was to estimate the clinical efficacy of local antibacterial therapy in the children presenting with sinusitis. The study included a total of 104 patients allocated to 2 groups. In one of them, the patients underwent therapeutic and diagnostic punctures of the maxillary sinuses to obtain the material for subsequent microbiological analysis and to administer antibiotics into the sinuses. The results of the study give evidence that local application of antibacterial agents in combination with mucolytic drugs is at least as efficient for the treatment of acute maxillary sinusitis as the traditional methods for the management of the same conditions with the use of systemic antibiotics. The study confirmed the expediency of using the puncture technique for the treatment of patients with acute inflammatory process in maxillary sinuses.     

Cholesterol granulomas in antrochoanal polyps: a clinicopathologic study

The purpose of this study was to investigate antrochoanal polyps with cholesterol granuloma (CG), which is a granulomatous reaction to cholesterol crystals that has been precipitated in the tissue. It is usually associated with chronic middle ear disease, common in the mastoid air cells, less common in the orbit and rarely found in the paranasal sinuses. The aim of this study was to analyze the etiology and pathological findings of antrochoanal polyps associated with cholesterol granuloma. This is a retrospective study of five cases of antrochoanal polyp with cholesterol granuloma, (four males and one female between 15 and 77 years of age) who presented with nasal obstruction, rhinorhea and snoring. The cases were clinically and histologically reviewed. Four patients were treated endoscopically and one by intranasal polypectomy without endoscope. There was no recurrence during the follow-up between 24 to 36 months (mean 31.2 months). Five uncommon cases with antrochoanal polyp with cholesterol granuloma are presented. The cholesterol granulomas consist of fibrous granulation tissue containing cholesterol crystals with surrounding foreign body giant cells. The pathogenesis of antrochoanal polyp with cholesterol granuloma is unclear, and further investigations are needed.     

Cholesterol granuloma of the frontal sinus

It is common to see cholesterol granuloma in the mastoid air cells, less common in the orbit, and uncommon in the paranasal sinuses. Cholesterol granuloma is thought to be due to an interruption to normal aeration with impaired lymphatic drainage, resulting in a closed cavity where it may form. These expanding cysts cause bone destruction and compression of the surrounding structures that lead to clinical symptoms. Diagnosis and management of cholesterol granuloma cysts can be challenging. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomographic (CT) scans are usually diagnostic. We present a rare case of cholesterol granuloma in the frontal sinus, few cases have been reported in the literature.     

Bacteria in chronic maxillary sinusitis.

Sixty-one chronically inflamed maxillary sinuses produced 131 bacterial strains from mucosal pieces that were taken during a Caldwell-Luc operation and cultured aerobically and anaerobically. Sinus secretions showed only 62 and nasal secretions 106 bacterial strains. Fourteen mucosal strains, including 11 Haemophilus influenzae, grew heavily. None of 24 mucosal anaerobes showed heavy growth. Of 52 antral mucosae with culturable bacteria, 37 disclosed mixed and 15 pure growth. The bacteriological characteristics of the diseased sinus and the nose did not correlate. The duration or extent of the disease, the macroscopic appearance of the diseased sinus, or the presence or absence of allergy were unrelated to bacteriological findings, except that H influenzae was concentrated in purulent sinuses. Intraoperative culture of antral mucosa seems to give the most reliable picture of the bacteriological condition in chronic maxillary sinusitis.     

The paranasal sinuses as reservoirs for nitric oxide

OBJECTIVE: Nitric oxide (NO) is an important mediator and inflammatory marker in human upper airways. Enzymes responsible for NO production have been demonstrated both in the nose and in the paranasal sinuses, but NO levels in the sinuses are reported to be several times higher than those in the nose. It has been postulated that the paranasal sinuses may be the primary sites for NO production in the upper respiratory tract. The present study was designed to compare the NO levels sampled from the nose with those found in the paranasal sinuses. MATERIAL AND METHODS: NO levels in the maxillary sinus and nose were determined using a continuous chemiluminescence measuring technique in seven healthy volunteers. RESULTS: When NO was sampled, via a drainage tube inserted into the maxillary sinus, a transient peak in NO level was recorded. The maximal NO level (5,761 +/- 1,513 ppb; n = 7) was reached within 10 s and was followed by the establishment of a lower steady-state level (304 +/- 51 ppb). When NO was continuously sampled from the nose a steady-state level, similar to that found in the sinus, was immediately established (313 +/- 52 ppb). CONCLUSION: The data presented confirm previous findings of extremely high NO levels in the paranasal sinuses and suggest that these cavities may also function as reservoirs for NO.     

Image-guided transphenoidal drainage of a cholesterol granuloma of the petrous apex in a child

Cholesterol granulomas of the petrous apex are well-described lesions that originate from chronic obstruction of the air cells in the petrous pyramid. Intracranial surgery, associated with multiple potential complications, has been the salutary action to treat this entity with only two reports of endoscopic drainage of a cholesterol granuloma of the paranasal sinuses. We present the first pediatric patient to be treated by not only endoscopic drainage, but also by the incorporation of computer-assisted image-guided surgery to minimize risk of injury to structures adjacent to the posterior wall of the sphenoid sinus.     

Paraganglioma of the maxillary sinus

Non-chromaffin paragangliomas are unusual tumours arising in specialized tissue, probably of neural crest origin. A primary non-chromaffin paraganglioma of the paranasal sinuses is a very rare tumour with only a handful of such cases documented in the literature. The presence of such a tumour raises interesting questions as to the origin of such specialized tissue within the nose and paranasal sinuses.     

Diagnosis and follow-up of ultrasonographical sinus changes in children

Retained secretion within the maxillary sinus was diagnosed by ultrasonography in 86 (19%) of 452 children (4–10 years) who entered Turku University ENT-clinic for adenoidectomy or adenotonsillectomy. Occipitomental radiographs showed signs of sinusitis in 168 (37%) of the children.All 86 children with secretion in one or both maxillary sinuses were operated on and treated with amoxicillin and a nasal decongestant. Fifty children (72 sinuses) were treated with antral lavage and 36 children (49 sinuses) were treated conservatively. After 10 days ultrasonography revealed no secretion in 86% of the irrigated sinuses and in 74% of the sinuses treated without irrigation. After 30 days all the irrigated sinuses were healed but in 5 (10%) of the sinuses treated without irrigation ultrasonography still revealed retained secretion. The difference was statistically significant. The disappearance of the radiographic sinus changes was considerably slower.As a non-ionizing method ultrasonography was found to be especially practical in the follow-up of treatment results. It seems that the disappearance of ultrasonic signs of sinusitis correlates better with the clinical resolving of sinusitis in childhood than the disappearance of radiographic signs of sinusitis.     

Bacteriology of endoscopically normal maxillary sinuses

The bacteriology of maxillary sinuses with normal endoscopic findings is reported in this study. When transantral sinoscopy was used to examine the maxillary sinuses, the whole maxillary sinus was inspected with different-angle endoscopes. If no lesion was seen over the whole maxillary sinus mucosa, no secretion existed in the maxillary sinus cavity, and the maxillary sinus ostium was wide open, the maxillary sinus was considered endoscopically normal. The bacteriology of these endoscopically normal maxillary sinuses was studied by passing cotton-tipped sticks through the cannula to collect swab specimens. In some cases, a biopsy forceps was also passed to obtain mucosal specimens. The specimens were sent to the laboratory for aerobic and anaerobic cultures. Between July 1990 and May 1998, 83 swab and 31 mucosal specimens were collected from 69 patients who had not taken any antibiotic within 10 days before endoscopy. The culture rates were 62.3 per cent (35/53) from swab specimens and 57.1 per cent (eight out of 14) from mucosal specimens in patients with the diagnosis of chronic paranasal sinusitis, and were 46.7 per cent (14/30) from swab specimens and 41.2 per cent (seven out of 17) from mucosal specimens in patients without this diagnosis. This study shows that endoscopically normal maxillary sinuses are not sterile.     

Histomorphometric analysis of human sphenoid and maxillary mucosa: measurement of relative density of goblet cells and basal cells.

The majority of malignant tumors of the paranasal sinus are squamous cell carcinomas and arise most commonly in the maxillary sinus, and less commonly in the nasal cavity and other sinuses. Glandular tumors (nonsquamous tumors) develop much less commonly and have a different distribution within the paranasal sinuses. The majority of adenomatous tumors arise from the surface mucosa and submucosal seromucinous glands. Attempts to explain tumorigenesis propose that the distribution of these tumors is based on the variance of different cell types among the sinuses. The authors used morphometric analysis to measure the relative density of goblet cells and basal cells from maxillary, and sphenoid sinus specimens. Surgical specimens of normal maxillary and sphenoid mucosa were retrieved from 5 and 10 patients, respectively. All specimens were stained with periodic acid-Schiff stain. The area of goblet and basal cells in five representative areas of each specimen were measured and compared to the total cross-sectional area of the mucosa, giving a relative density of each cell type. The average goblet cell density was 31.19% (SD +/- 10.27%) in maxillary tissue and 33.25% (SD +/- 20.80%) in sphenoid tissue. Student's t-test showed no statistically significant difference in goblet cell density between the two sinuses. The average basal cell density was 9.53% (SD +/- 0.87%) for maxillary tissue and 10.91% (SD +/- 1.91%) for sphenoid tissue. Again, no statistically significant difference between the two sinuses existed. In conclusion, there is no clearly detectable difference in the histologic composition of these two paranasal sinuses to explain the different incidence of glandular tumors, and other etiologic factors must be considered in explaining tumorigenesis at these sites.     

Cholesterol granuloma of the maxillary antrum

The cholesterol granuloma is a particular form of granulation tissue developing as part of a variety of tissue reactions, Cholesterol granuloma is not related to cholesteatoma which may be regarded as an epidermoid cyst of the middle ear or temporal bone. Cholesterol granulomas are rarely associated with such cases (Friedmann, 1976; Gherini et al., 1985). Microscopically, the cholesterol granuloma consists of dense masses of cholesterol crystals which appear as clefts. They are surrounded by foreign body giant cells, foam cells, plasma cells and lymphocytes. There is frequently some fresh blood and some blood pigment (Wilhelm, 1977; Beales, 1979; Gibb, 1979). It seems probable that inflammation and prolonged obstruction of a bony cavity that is normally aerated, are the main ways in which cholesterol is concentrated in the paranasal sinuses. It could be expected to be relatively frequent in the maxillary and frontal sinus, but only a few cases have been reported in the literature and only nine cases affecting the maxillary sinus have been published over the last 22 years (Milton and Bickerton, 1986). We have recently found a cholesterol granuloma arising in the maxillary antrum.