Paranasal sınus fungus balls : our experıence of 19 cases and Revıew of lıterature

Abstract

Introduction: Fungal sinusitis is a common disease and increasingly getting high incidence. It forms approximately 10 % of the patients requiring surgery for the nose and the sinuses. Fungal sinusitis can be mainly categorized into invasive and non-invasive types. Objectives: Sinus fungus ball is the most common form of fungal sinusitis. The aim of this study is to share our experience on patients diagnosed with fungus ball. Materials-Methods: The epidemiological data, clinical presentations, radiology, mycology and histology results of 19 patients (6 males and 13 females, age between 22 to 67) diagnosed with a fungus ball sinusitis who underwent functional endoscopic sinus surgery . All patients underwent preoperative computed tomography and were evaluated with rigid endoscopy. Paranasal CT scan was performed in all patients and various opacities were observed. Results: In 47 % the maxillar sinus (9 patients), in 15 % the ethmoidal cells (3 patients), in 32 % the sphenoid sinus (6 patients) and in 6 % concha bullosa (1 patient) were affected. FESS was performed under general anaesthesia. The diagnosis is based on histological examination of surgically removed material. Surgically removed materials were sent to the bacteriology/mycology laboratory and the histopathology laboratory for fungal cultures and histological examination. Conclusion: By reviewing 19 patients diagnosed with fungus ball after endoscopic surgery during the past 5 years, we report the clinical features along with a literature review.