Pneumosinus dilatans frontalis: two case reports

Introduction: Pneumosinus dilatans was described first in 1898 by Meyes. Up to now only 60 cases have been published worldwide dealing mainly with young men between 20 and 30 years of age. The aetiology remains unknown. Whilst frontal sinuses are affected most often other sinuses can also be involved. The expansion of the pneumosinus is not only an aesthetic problem but may also have functional consequences. There may be a bulging of the roof of the orbit with consequent global displacement, ocular alterations and ptosis. Other features are headache and anosmia. Patients: Two male patients with a pneumosinus dilatans of the frontal sinus are presented. They were 22 and 25 years old. The main complaints were aesthetic disfigurement. Treatment consisted of craniofacial repair of the malformation. Results: While one patient was lost to follow-up, the other still is happy and has a stable aesthetic long-term result. (c) 2005 European Association for Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery