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Review
. 2022 Jan 27;26(4):e738-e743.
doi: 10.1055/s-0041-1740598. eCollection 2022 Oct.

Rare Presentations of Frontal Sinus Fungus Ball: A Systematic Review

Bárbara Okabaiasse Luizeti  1 , Lesley Ane Roks de Lima  1 , Jonas Willian Spies  2   3 , Guilherme Constante Preis Sella  1   2   3   4
Affiliations
Review

Rare Presentations of Frontal Sinus Fungus Ball: A Systematic Review

Bárbara Okabaiasse Luizeti et al. Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol. .

Abstract

Introduction The sinus fungus ball is an agglomeration of debris and hyphae, mainly caused by Aspergillus fumigatus , within the paranasal sinus, commonly affecting a single sinus, and it only rarely affects the frontal sinus. Objective To identify the state of the art of fungus ball in paranasal sinuses, especially related to the epidemiology of the disease in the frontal sinus. Additionally, this article reports a rare case of fungus ball in the frontal sinus in an adult male, and discusses the variables of this condition related to the patient. Data Synthesis All of the 8 cases of fungus ball in the frontal sinus reported in this study affected male patients: 40% had unilateral disease, and 60%, bilateral disease, contrary to the incidence data of fungus ball in the other paranasal sinuses, which reports unilateral prevalence. However, in the present study, this index changes, with 50% of unilateral and 50% of bilateral incidence regarding frontal sinus involvement. The average age of the patients was 65.36 years (range: 60-74 years). The etiologic agent was Aspergillus spp., and the endonasal endoscopic therapeutic approach corresponded to 80% of cases, while frontal osteoplasty accounted for 20% of cases, reaffirming the prevalence data from other studies. Conclusion Despite being a low-incidence entity, frontal sinus fungus ball should be considered in patients with pain in the frontal region refractory to the usual clinical treatments.

Keywords: aspergillus fumigatus; communicable diseases; complications; paranasal sinus diseases; transanal endoscopic surgery.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interests The authors have no conflict of interests to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart of the different stages of the systematic review.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Computed tomography scan in sagittal view showing obliteration with frontal sinus microcalcifications.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Computed tomography scan in coronal view showing complete and heterogeneous left opacification of the frontal sinus.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Endoscopic removal of a fungus ball from the frontal sinus.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Endoscopic image showing the frontal sinus after removal of a fungus ball.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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