Mucocele eroding maxillary sinus wall as an incidental finding in Cone-beam computed tomography

Abstract

Mucoceles are locally-expansive, slow-growing benign lesions that are generated from obstructed seromucous glands in the sinonasal mucosa. It has a cystic aspect and leads to sinus opacification. Patients usually present non-specific opacification and, in rare cases, enlarged mucoceles can lead to bone destruction through the compression of sinus surrounding bone walls. This report shows the case of a female patient without any clinical complaints who presented an evident opacification in her left maxillary sinus eroding the sinus wall, which was noticeable by means of panoramic radiograph, aside from maxillary sinus wall thinning and destruction, demonstrated through cone beam computed tomography examinations. The main diagnosis hypothesis was mucocele, as confirmed by the patient’s otolaryngologist. As the presence of any inflammatory disease in the maxillary sinus contraindicates sinus augmentation, the patient was referred to otorhinolaryngy treatment before implant rehabilitation.