Occurrence of a postoperative maxillary mucocele 20 years after orbital wall reconstruction

Ear Nose Throat J. 2022 Sep 21:1455613221128130. doi: 10.1177/01455613221128130. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

Mucoceles of the paranasal sinus are epithelial-lined cystic structures filled with mucus and have multiple etiologies, including recurrent inflammation, trauma, or intrinsic disease. Particularly, a postoperative maxillary mucocele (POMM) is a delayed complication of radical surgery of the maxillary sinus, and most cases occur after Caldwell-Luc operations. Patients mainly complain of facial swelling, toothache, and tenderness. POMM has rarely been reported from other causes; however, there have been no reports on the occurrence of POMM following orbital wall reconstruction. Herein, we report a case of a patient with a POMM that developed 20 years after the aforementioned surgery. The patient complained of facial pain with visual disturbance, and underwent marsupialization using a combination of sublabial and endoscopic approaches, and the symptoms improved without recurrence.

Keywords: marsupialization; mucocele; orbital wall reconstruction; postoperative maxillary mucocele.