Neurological Complications of Acute and Chronic Sinusitis.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Acute and chronic sinusitis can give rise to a wide array of intracranial and orbital complications. These complications include brain abscess, subdural empyema, epidural abscess, meningitis, venous sinus thrombosis, frontal bone osteomyelitis, and orbital cellulitis and abscess. Despite numerous medical advances, these complications carry a risk of mortality and significant morbidity. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent studies have shown improvement in both the mortality and the morbidity associated with the neurologic complications of acute and chronic sinusitis. However, there are still a large portion of patients with long-term sequelae, and the literature reports a morbidity rate of approximately 30%. The most common post-treatment morbidities include permanent changes in vision, seizures, and hemiparesis. Although the overall incidence of neurologic complications from a sinogenic source are rare, the potential long-term complications can be devastating making prompt diagnosis and treatment vital to improving outcomes.

Current practices regarding middle turbinate resection among otolaryngologists.

Objectives: Resection of the middle turbinate (MT) during endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) has been a controversial topic among otolaryngologists for many years. Some studies advocate resection and have shown improved outcomes postoperatively, while studies favoring preservation show a decreased incidence of postoperative complications. The current practice pattern regarding this subject is unknown. The goal of this study was to learn the current practice of MT resection during ESS among otolaryngologists. Method: We performed an electronic anonymous survey of practicing otolaryngologists. Results: We found that the majority of the 252 responders stated that they will perform an MT resection in certain clinical situations, while there is a small subset that advocates never resecting the MT for inflammatory sinus disease (n = 6, 2.4%). Participants were significantly more likely to perform MT resection in patients undergoing revision compared to primary ESS for all conditions included. The complication of greatest concern among participants was iatrogenic frontal sinus obstruction, while empty nose was of the least concern. The majority of participants responded that MT resection was of extreme or moderate benefit for improved visualization and drug delivery postoperatively. When compared to general otolaryngologists, fellowship-trained rhinologists were less concerned about potential complications following MT resection and were more likely to perceive an extreme or moderate benefit from turbinate resection postoperatively. Conclusion: There remains debate over MT resection among otolaryngologists, but the results of this study show that the majority of participating otolaryngologists will perform a resection in certain clinical situations.

Unified Airway Disease: Environmental Factors.

The unified airway is in constant exposure to environmental factors that promote inflammation and disease. Environmental allergens, including house dust mites, pets, pollens, and molds, are strongly linked with development and exacerbation of upper airway disease with nonlinear dose-dependent relationships. Occupational triggers, including combat exposures and construction workers, are associated with the development of both upper and lower airway disease resulting in a "healthy worker effect" where many people leave jobs due to significant morbidity..

Localized Amyloidosis of the Sphenoid Sinus: A Case Report and a Descriptive Literature Review.

Amyloidosis is the process of extracellular deposition of protein fibrils and manifests pathologically as a systemic or localized process. Localized amyloidosis of the head and neck is uncommon, and involvement of the sphenoid sinus is exceedingly rare. We describe a case of localized amyloidosis isolated from the sphenoid sinus. A descriptive literature search was conducted to highlight presentation, management, and outcomes related to this pathology. Our patient was a 65-year-old male who presented to our clinic with nasal congestion and an incidental finding of a large expansile mass within the sphenoid sinuses. The mass was seen to displace the pituitary gland, and thus a multidisciplinary care approach ensued. The mass was removed via a transnasal endoscopic approach. Pathology revealed fibrocollagenous tissue with calcifications that were positive on Congo red staining. The patient underwent further workup to rule out systemic involvement, which was unremarkable. Based on the findings of his workup, he was ultimately diagnosed with localized amyloidosis. A comprehensive review of the literature revealed 25 other reported cases of localized amyloidosis within the sinonasal region, with only one other case of isolated sphenoid sinus disease. Common presenting symptoms are nonspecific and may mimic other, more frequently seen regional pathologies, including nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea, and epistaxis. The treatment for localized disease is surgical resection. While localized amyloidosis within the sinonasal region is rare, it is important to recognize, work up, and treat it appropriately. A multidisciplinary team approach is necessary for appropriate diagnosis and management, and these patients should be followed closely after treatment.

Sinusitis as a cause of insidious headache in a pregnant woman: A case report.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of headaches during pregnancy is 35%. Although ruling out pre-eclampsia as a possible cause for headache is important in the pregnant population, acute sinusitis should remain on the differential as it occurs six times more frequently in pregnant women. Untreated disease can lead to rare intracranial complications such as a subdural empyema.Case presentation: 21-year-old female with recurring headaches at 33 weeks of gestation was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia with severe features requiring emergent caesarean section. The woman continued to have altered mental status and focal neurologic deficits after delivery. Computerized tomography head imaging demonstrated a subdural collection discovered to be an empyema due to unilateral acute sinusitis of odontogenic origin. CONCLUSION: Maintaining a clinical suspicion for acute sinusitis as a cause of headache in a pregnant woman is important for prompt diagnosis and treatment before it develops into a rare intracranial complication.

Biologic Agents for the Treatment of Chronic Rhinosinusitis With Nasal Polyps.

BACKGROUND: Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis is a complex inflammatory disorder, which is often recalcitrant to medical and surgical management. Recently, biologic agents have been studied as an adjunct treatment for this patient population. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to examine the role of biologic agents for chronic rhinosinusitis patients by reviewing literature and clinical trials. METHODS: A comprehensive review of literature and clinical trials-both recently completed and ongoing-was undertaken to examine up-to-date evidence of current biologic therapy and its role in chronic rhinosinusitis patients-including anti-IgE, anti-IL-4, anti-IL-5, anti-IL-13, and GATA-3 DNAzyme. RESULTS: Specific biologic agents discussed include omalizumab, reslizumab, mepolizumab, benralizumab, dupilumab, and Hgd40/SB010. Risks, side effects, and administration information are also reviewed. An algorithm for the use of biologics in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis is proposed. CONCLUSION: These treatments have promising results and may prove to be an important adjunct for patients with recalcitrant sinus disease.

Role of immunotherapy in allergic fungal rhinosinusitis.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Our understanding of the pathogenesis and treatment of allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS) continues to evolve. This article serves to update the reader on the diagnosis and management of AFRS and pays particular attention to the recent literature regarding efficacy and safety of immunotherapy in this patient population. RECENT FINDINGS: The mainstay of treatment of AFRS remains a thorough surgery; however, adjunctive medical management is also critical to achieve optimal outcomes. Oral steroid use in AFRS remains recommended. Immunotherapy, both fungal and nonfungal, may be considered for patients exhibiting a type I hypersensitivity to specific allergens. To date, limited studies do show improvement with reduction of postoperative exacerbations and revision surgeries. There remains no evidence of unusual side-effects or formation of immune complexes from immunotherapy in AFRS patients. Double-blind placebo controlled trials on immunotherapy and AFRS are lacking, and ultimately, conclusive evidence of efficacy is not present to date. SUMMARY: Treatment of AFRS requires multimodality therapy with immunotherapy playing a significant, yet inconclusive, role. Further studies remain warranted.

Recurrent asystole as an electrocardiographic artifact during microdebrider use in functional endoscopic sinus surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Electrocardiographic (EKG) artifacts can lead to unnecessary treatment and costly diagnostic workup. Two previous studies reported a ventricular tachycardia artifact as a result of microdebrider malfunction. In this study, we report the first case of EKG artifacts that mimick asystole from microdebrider use during functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). CASE: A healthy 19-year-old woman presented with chronic rhinosinusitis, nasal polyposis, and a deviated nasal septum. She was scheduled for a bilateral FESS and septoplasty. During surgery, the microdebrider was changed after 1 hour. While using the second microdebrider, the EKG monitor showed three distinct asystolic events, all lasted approximately 3 seconds. The EKG tracing returned to normal sinus rhythm every time the microdebrider was stopped. The patient's oxygen saturation remained at 100%, and blood pressure remained stable during the episodes. The procedure was aborted, and an extensive cardiology workup was performed, which returned negative results. Biomedical engineering investigated the microdebrider and found a far greater than expected chassis leak, which likely caused electrical interference. Six months later, the patient underwent a right-sided FESS and revision left frontal FESS. There were no EKG abnormalities during the second surgery. DISCUSSION: Although other EKG artifacts have been reported in the literature, this is the first case report of an artifact that mimicked asystole that stemmed from microdebrider use. Improved awareness of this potential EKG artifact for both the surgeon and the anesthesiologist may prevent an unnecessary costly workup.

Rare and Other Notable Complications in Endoscopic Sinus Surgery.

This article focuses on the rare and obscure complications of endoscopic sinus surgery. The majority of surgeons will not encounter these complications in their practice, but should be aware of their possibility. With knowledge of these rare complications, the surgeon can understand the possible avoidance as well as urgent management of these problems.

Asthma: symptoms and presentation.

The goal of this article is to inform readers of the common and uncommon signs and symptoms of asthma. After completion of this article, readers should have a firm understanding of the symptoms and presentation leading to a diagnosis of asthma.

Evaluation of the presence of B-cell attractant chemokines in chronic rhinosinusitis.

BACKGROUND: B-cell responses may play a role in the pathogenesis of nasal polyposis via local IgA and IgE production and activation of eosinophils and mast cells. B-cell attracting chemokines may therefore have relevance in the pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNPs) Methods: Polyp and inferior turbinate tissues were obtained from CRSwNPs, CRS without NPs (CRSsNPs), and control patients; ELISA and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction were used to detect levels of protein and mRNA for selected B-cell chemokines (B-cell attracting chemokine 1 [CXCL13/BCA-1/BLC]), thymus expressed chemokine (CCL25/TECK), mucosae-associated epithelial chemokine (CCL28/MEC), stromal cell-derived factor-1alpha (CXCL12/SDF-1alpha), and selected chemokine receptor genes (CXCR4, CXCR5, and CXCR7). RESULTS: BCA-1 and SDF-1alpha protein levels were significantly increased in polyp tissue compared with turbinate tissue from CRSsNP patients and controls (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). Differences in TECK and MEC were not significant. For mRNA, expression of BCA-1 was significantly up-regulated in polyp tissue and levels correlated with CD20 mRNA expression. Additionally, significant up-regulation of mRNA for the SDF-1alpha receptors CXCR7 and CXCR4 was detected in polyps, while there was a trend for up-regulation of the BCA-1 receptor CXCR5. CONCLUSION: Elevated levels of the BCA-1 and SDF-1alpha and their receptors may account for an increased presence of B cells and their products, contributing to eosinophilic inflammation in patients with CRSwNP.

Diagnosis of nasal airway obstruction.

Nasal airway obstruction is the source of significant patient discomfort and financial burden; hence, otolaryngologists encounter this symptom on an almost daily basis. This article provides a thorough yet concise summary of common and more specialized techniques that are instrumental in diagnosing nasal obstruction. The article begins with a brief overview of significant nasal anatomy and physiology. Ultimately, the main focus is on exploring the role of nasal endoscopy, radiographic imaging, acoustic rhinomanometry and other diagnostic tests that assist in the diagnosis of nasal airway obstruction.

Poor radiotherapy compliance predicts persistent regional disease in advanced head/neck cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if poor compliance to chemoradiation results in an increased rate of persistent neck disease. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective, cohort study in an urban, tertiary-care medical center. METHODS: The study included patients with N+ stage III/IV squamous cell carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract treated with curative-intent chemoradiation, who underwent subsequent planned neck dissection. Main outcome measure was persistent regional disease evidenced by identifiable carcinoma in neck dissection specimens. Variables including age, gender, race, primary site, initial T, N staging, imaging results, and treatment compliance were assessed and correlated to positive neck dissection pathology. RESULTS: Of 40 patients, 18 (45%) had persistent carcinoma in neck dissection specimens while 22 (55%) demonstrated complete response in the neck. There were 14 patients (35%) who were poorly compliant to radiotherapy (>or=14 days treatment interruption) and the remaining 26 patients (65%) were considered compliant (<14 missed days). Only 23% of compliant patients had positive pathology while 79% of noncompliant patients had positive pathology (hazard ratio: 9.9). Noncompliance was the only variable that had a statistically significant correlation to positive pathology results (P = .002). Multivariate logistic regression showed all other variables to be insignificant in predicting pathology. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that poorly compliant patients are at significantly higher risk of persistent neck disease. Poor compliance may help identify patients who will most benefit from neck dissection after chemoradiation. This variable was more predictive than pretreatment variables and posttreatment CT scan. Further studies investigating patterns of failure after chemoradiotherapy in the poorly compliant patient population are warranted.