What may surprise a rhinologist in everyday clinical practice: silent sinus syndrome or pneumosinus dilatans/pneumocele? Literature review and own experience.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to present rare sinus syndromes known as silent sinus syndrome (SSS) and frontal sinus syndrome with excessive pneumatization and bone defects in the wall (pneumocele). The available literature describing pneumocele cases was reviewed. METHODOLOGY: PubMed and Science Direct databases were searched by two independent reviewers. The primary outcome was finding descriptions of the sinus pneumocele. In the end, papers on frontal sinus pneumocele that was not the result of trauma, congenital defects or comorbidities were selected. Moreover, the authors presented their own cases of SSS and pneumocele. RESULTS: Twelve case reports of frontal sinus pneumocele were found, one own case was presented. In addition, 8 subjects with SSS, diagnosed and treated in the period from September 2017 to May 2022, were described. CONCLUSIONS: With the increasing number of patients suffering from sinus diseases and the growing number of endoscopic surgeries, the knowledge of rare sinus syndromes will increase the safety of the procedures performed.

Assessment of life quality and health perception among recovered COVID-19 patients: multivariate analysis - own material and a review of previous reports on life quality assessment among convalescents.

BACKGROUND: The SARS-CoV-2 virus, causing acute respiratory disease, is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in early 2020. In addition to symptoms typical of respiratory tract infections, the virus causes a number of non-specific, often long-lasting effects that hinder the daily functioning of individuals. The aim of the study was a subjective assessment of life quality and health perception among recovered COVID-19 patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 337 subjects who had been infected with SARS-CoV-2 confirmed by a positive RT-PCR test. The study participants were of legal age. The convalescents completed a questionnaire that contained 26 questions about gender, height, body weight, blood type, general and specific symptoms, comorbidities, hospital stay and duration of specific symptoms, the severity of which was assessed on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The subjects determined whether the COVID-19 infection influenced their health perception and life quality. RESULTS: According to 46% of the respondents, COVID-19 had an impact on their quality of life and health. The chance for patients to notice the negative effects of COVID-19 on their current health status and life quality increased with each subsequent symptom of the disease by 49%, with each day of its occurrence by 3%, and with each VAS point of the severity of all infection symptoms by 30%. CONCLUSIONS: The study shows that COVID-19 disease affects life quality and overall health perception after recovery. Significant impact of COVID-19 on the quality of life should be a signal to create mental support and rehabilitation programs for convalescents to minimize discomfort and shorten the duration of absenteeism from work. Med Pr. 2022;73(6):449-56.

Etiology, Early Diagnosis and Proper Treatment of Silent Sinus Syndrome Based on Review of the Literature and Own Experience.

PURPOSE: The authors' aim was to review the literature in terms of the etiology of the syndrome, the frequency of Silent Sinus Syndrome (SSS) and surgical procedure, as well as to present their own experience. METHODS: The authors used PubMed, Medline, and Science Direct websites to find and review the most significant papers related to SSS. The case reports of SSS published between 2010 and 2020 were reviewed. A retrospective case review of 8 patients with SSS treated at the authors' departments was done. RESULTS: The silent sinus syndrome has been reported in both children and adults. It is relatively rare and should be differentiated from congenital sinus hypoplasia or atelectasis. It most often affects the maxillary sinus. SSS is usually diagnosed when facial asymmetry or vision problems occur. Late diagnosis requires endoscopic sinus surgery, involving orbital wall reconstruction. The etiology of the syndrome, including the role of bacterial flora found in the sinuses, is unclear. CONCLUSION: Early diagnosis of SSS enables avoiding orbital complications and limits surgical intervention to endoscopic surgery. Further research into bacteriology may help to understand the pathophysiology of the silent sinus syndrome.

A Review of Selected Factors of Salivary Gland Tumour Formation and Malignant Transformation.

Salivary gland tumours represent about 6% of head and neck neoplasms and about 0.5% of all malignancies in humans. Tumour growth and malignant transformation are complex processes involving various actions of molecules. Furthermore, some malignant salivary gland tumours are deemed to be caused by dedifferentiation or malignant transformation of benign tumours. The mechanisms of this transformation depend on a variety of different elements, such as cell cycle regulators, oncogenes, proteins, angiogenesis factors, and adipocytokines. The authors used PubMed, Medline, and Google websites to find and review the most significant papers related to malignant transformation in benign salivary gland tumours.