title: Optic nerve compression in allergic fungal sinusitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the syndrome of optic nerve involvement in cases of allergic fungal sinusitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Academic tertiary care centre.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analysis of prospectively accrued data for 10 consecutive cases (three bilateral, giving 13 eyes) with visual loss secondary to optic nerve compression, from a total of 70 cases of allergic fungal sinusitis undergoing surgical treatment between June 1997 and May 2007.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean duration of rhinological symptoms prior to the onset of visual loss was 22 months. At presentation, visual loss ranged from a visual acuity of 6/12 to complete loss of light perception. Bilateral involvement was noted in three of the 10 cases. Urgent surgical decompression with removal of all fungal debris and decompression of the optic nerve resulted in visual recovery in seven of the 13 eyes. On univariate analysis, recovery was less likely in cases with long standing visual loss, and in cases with complete visual loss.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Long standing allergic fungal sinusitis may be complicated by visual loss due to compression of the optic nerve. Urgent surgery to clear the sinuses and decompress the optic nerve is successful in reversing visual loss in cases with partial visual loss.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology and Head-Neck Surgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thakar
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lal
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dhiwakar
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bahadur
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019299:Decompression, Surgical / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009181:Mycoses / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D009408:Nerve Compression Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000601:surgery; D009901:Optic Nerve Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000601:surgery; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D014792:Visual Acuity; D055815:Young Adult