Case-Report of a Silent Sinus Syndrome: an Underdiagnosed Disease

It is known that orbital floor disruption leading to an enophthalmos and a hypoglobus can occur after surgery or trauma, or, in conditions such as osteomyelitis, malignancy, systemic inflammatory disease, etc. [1]. Silent sinus syndrome (SSS) is a rare cause of spontaneous and painless enophthalmos and hypoglobus [2]. It is thought to result from a negative pressure within the maxillary sinus (due to an acquired obstruction of the sinus outflow) that leads to a chronic sinus maxillary atelectasis [2].

References

• 1 Monos T, Levy J, Lifshitz T et al. The silent sinus syndrome.  Isr Med Assoc J. 2005;  7 333-335
• 2 Rose S E, Sandy C, Hallberg L et al. Clinical and radiologic characteristics of the imploding antrum, or ”silent sinus”, syndrome.  Ophthalmology. 2003;  110 811-818
• 3 Brandt M G, Wright E D. The silent sinus syndrome is a form of chronic maxillary atelectasis: a systematic review of all reported cases.  Am J Rhinol. 2008;  22 68-73
• 4 Wan M K, Francis I C, Carter P R et al. The spectrum of presentation of silent sinus syndrome.  J Neuroophthalmol. 2000;  20 207-212
• 5 Amnino Jr D R, Goguen L A. Silent sinus syndrome.  Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2008;  16 22-25