Maxillary sinus mucocele

Abstract

Introduction: the mucoceles of the paranasal sinuses are cystic, expansive lesions, lined by epithelium and filled with mucous secretions, caused by obstruction of the drainage orifice of the paranasal sinuses. Although benign, they are potentially destructive by causing resorption of the surrounding bone due to the increased pressure they produce on it.

Objective: to present the case of a patient with maxillary sinus mucocele, due to the infrequent presentation of this neoplasm, its interesting evolution from the medical point of view and the difficulty of its clinical diagnosis.

Case presentation: male patient, white, 40 years old, with apparent health history. He went to the maxillofacial surgery clinic for presenting pain, fever and feeling of occupation in the right genial region. The results of the laboratory tests were normal. The radiograph showed the presence, in the right maxillary sinus, of a radiopaque, polypoid and rounded image. During the surgical approach, a rounded, yellowish-white formation was observed that occupied almost the entire maxillary sinus. A maxillary sinus mucocele was diagnosed by histological analysis. In the two years since the surgical treatment, the patient has had a favorable evolution.

Conclusions: early diagnosis of maxillary sinus mucocele allows treatment to be established in a timely manner. Due to the diagnostic difficulty of this neoplasm, in the presence of clinical and radiological alterations of the paranasal or maxillary sinuses the possibility of a mucocele should be taken into account, however it’s rare