ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cavernous sinus is a small venous space enclosed by leaves of dura and periosteum and located on either side of sella turcica. Approach and treatment of lesions of this sinus are very difficult and perilous because they contain critical neural and vascular structures. Surgery relating to cavernous sinus lesions are extremely rare in otorhinolaryngology and such surgeries are usually referred to the fields of neurology and neurosurgery. However, in the case of a lesion that extends from the nasal cavity and the paranasal sinuses, an intranasal approach is necessary and cooperation with head and neck surgeons are desirable to achieve a superior result. This study examines the nature of these rare cases of cavernous sinus lesions and assesses the results of cooperation with doctors of other specialties. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We summarize here three cases of cavernous sinus lesions (angiofibroma, tuberculosis, foreign body) extendeding from the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. These lesions were treated in cooperation with a reconstructive surgeon and a neurosurgeon. RESULT: All of these cases showed successful results. CONCLUSION: Close cooperation from each department is critical in order to achieve successful results.
Subject(s)
Angiofibroma , Cavernous Sinus , Foreign Bodies , Head , Nasal Cavity , Neck , Neurology , Neurosurgery , Otolaryngology , Paranasal Sinuses , Periosteum , Sella Turcica , TuberculosisABSTRACT
Epistaxis is a common otolaryngologic emergency. Posterior epitaxis is more frequent in the elderly and associates with hypertension and arteriosclerosis. This is apt to be more vigorous in volume, is more difficult to identify the active bleeding point, and is more troublesome to contol. A number of different treatments are used to control the posterior epistaxis. Some of these are deep anterior packing, posterior packing, nasal balloon tamponade, arterial ligation, arterial embolization and posterior endoscopic cautery. Recently we directly photocoagulated the bleeding points in 7 cases of posterior epistaxis using endoscope and KTP/532 laser. The epistaxis was controlled in all cases without any significant complication.