Sudden blindness in a child: presenting symptom of a sphenoid sinus mucocele.
A 10-year-old girl with no nasal or respiratory symptoms developed a headache lasting a few hours. The next day she became totally blind in the right eye and over 5 days vision in the left eye deteriorated to bare light perception. The diagnosis of a sphenoid sinus mucocele was made radiologically and drainage via an endonasal sphenoidectomy produced 12 ml of brownish fluid. Endoscopic biopsy of the wall confirmed the diagnosis of a mucocele. Steroid treatment was given postoperatively, but vision recovered to 6/12 in the left eye only. The importance of urgent clinical diagnosis and treatment is stressed.
Casteels
I
I
University Hospitals KU Leuven, Belgium.
De Loof
E
E
Brock
P
P
Jorissen
M
M
Dralands
L
L
Missotten
L
L
Wilms
G
G
D000208:Acute Disease; D001766:Blindness / Q000209:etiology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009078:Mucocele / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D010254:Paranasal Sinus Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013101:Sphenoid Sinus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed