Treatment of a sphenoid sinus mucocele using an endoscope combined with a navigating system: a case report.

A sphenoid sinus mucocele extending into the middle cranial fossa and the pterygomaxillary fissure was decompressed using an endoscope in combination with a navigation system. A 59-year-old woman was admitted with a 3 month history of retro-ocular pain and right sided exophthalmos. To evaluate the cystic lesion, a fibreoptic endoscope was inserted into the cyst through an erosive defect in the temporal bone. The histopathological appearance of cyst wall tissue confirmed the diagnosis of mucocele. After 4 months, the mucocele had refilled and the exophthalmos had recurred. At reoperation, the cyst was fenestrated using a rigid endoscope combined with a navigation system inserted via a sublabial transmaxillary approach. The proper site of cyst fenestration was precisely determined using the navigation system, permitting complete evacuation of this large lesion with minimal invasiveness. Copyright 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.