Two Cases of Pneumocele of Maxillary Sinus

Abstract

Pneumocele is a rare disease involving one or more paranasal sinuses. It is defined as abnormal dilatation of paranasal sinus, which is air-filled with either focal or generalized thinning of bony sinus walls. The aim of pneumocele treatment is two-fold: to re-establish permanent pressure equilibrium in the involved sinus and to correct the possible facial deformities. The first goal can be achieved by middle meatal antrostomy. When alterations of the maxillary or orbital contour are present, corrections can be obtained by osteotomies through Caldwell-Luc or an infraorbital approach. We report two cases of pneumocele of maxillary sinus. The first case was treated with osteotomy via Caldwell-Luc approach and the second case was treated simultaneously with osteotomy and rhinoplasty. No recurrence was observed after surgical treatment in both cases.