Vol.102 No.9 contentsPRACTICA OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGICA
Vol. 102 No. 9 September 2009
A Case of Multiple Cranial Nerve Disorder due to
Cholesterol Granuloma of the Sphenoid Sinus
Masahiro Katsuno, Shinya Tachibana, Yasuhiro Tani and Naohiko Watanabe
(Kantou-Rousai Hospital)
It is generally known that sphenoid sinus diseases gives rise to ophthalmological symptoms. We report a case of multiple cranial nerve disorder due to cholesterol granuloma of the sphenoid sinus. A 73-year-old man complained of reduced vision of the right eye, right blepharoptosis and headache. We diagnosed him with multiple cranial nerve disorder due to a cystic lesion of the sphenoid sinus based on MRI and CT findings. On the same day, an emergency operation was performed involving endoscopic sinus surgery. After the operation, the patient gradually recovered from the symptoms. A part of the cyst wall was pathologically composed of cholesterol granuloma. Cholesterol granuloma of the paranasal sinus is rare. Our search of the literature on cholesterol granuloma of the paranasal sinus revealed only 35 cases. We thought that emergency surgery is necessary for multiple cranial nerve disorder due to a sphenoid sinus disease.
Key words :multiple cranial nerve disorder, cholesterol granuloma, sphenoid sinus