The silent sinus syndrome in the patients presenting with the uncinate process apposed to the orbital wall

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to analyze the frequency of the silent sinus syndrome (SSS) based on the results of computed tomography of the paranasal sinuses (PNS) in the patients presenting with the uncinate process (UP) apposed to the orbital wall. The study included 35 patients with the uncinate process apposed to the orbital wall who had been operated in the Clinic of ENT Diseases of I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University. The examination of the nasal cavity with the use of computed tomography and PNS endoscopy revealed the silent sinus syndrome in 14 patients. Ten of them had endoscopically confirmed type 2 hypoplasia of maxillary sinuses (MS). This finding suggests the necessity of computed tomography of paranasal sinuses in the patients with this condition in order to exclude the diagnosis of silent sinus syndrome even in the absence of exophthalmos. All the patients included in the present study underwent endoscopic surgery on maxillary sinuses that resulted in the adequate widening of the ostium and comprehensive sanation of the sinuses.