UNASSIGNED: Langenbach (1820) first described paranasal sinus mucoceles under the name of hydatids. Roulette (1909) introduced the name mucocele. Paranasal sinus mucocele is the accumulation of mucus secretions and exfoliated epithelium in the sinuses, causing enlargement of the sinus walls. It is considered a cystic, dilatation-eroding lesion. However, the mucocele often occurs as a localized mass, causing bone erosion and displacement of surrounding structures. If left untreated, a nearby mucocele in the brain can become infected and lead to death. Frontal sinuses are often involved; sphenoid, ethmoid, and maxillary mucoceles are rare. Mucoceles usually result from sinus ostium obstruction due to infection, fibrosis, inflammation, trauma, surgery, or obstruction by tumors such as osteomas. Of all causes, patients most often present with cranio-facial trauma (82.97%) and the most common mechanism is human aggression (90.85%).
UNASSIGNED: This 30-year-old male patient presented with a frontal head swelling of one year duration that started after he sustained a stick injury on the frontal head one year ago, and he has an associated frontal headache for one year. There was a 4x5cm frontal, firm, palpable, non-tender lesion extending from the nasion to the frontal head. On the brain CT scan, there was frontal bone erosion at multiple sites with partial frontal sinus opacity, an externally growing mass, and an old frontal sinus fracture noted. Bifrontal craniotomy and bilateral frontal sinus cranialization were done, and the patient was discharged on the third day and seen a month later with complete improvement from headache and swelling.
UNASSIGNED: The incidence and pathophysiology of posttraumatic frontal sinus mucoceles are not known yet. The surgical management of mucocele demand a multidisciplinary team involving neurosurgeons, ear nose and throat surgeons, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, ophthalmologists and plastic and reconstructive surgeons. By treating the primary cause, frontal sinus fracture at contact, this case report aims to raise awareness of and prevent frontal sinus mucocele and related complications.

Background  Cranialization or obliteration is widely accepted intervention for traumatic or intentional breach of the frontal sinus. These techniques, however, result in the loss of frontal sinus function and have a persistent risk of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak and mucocele. Compartmentalization is an open technique for repair of the frontal sinus using allograft onlay and a vascularized periosteal flap that allows for preservation of frontal sinus function. Objective  The main objective of this article is to describe the technique for compartmentalization of the frontal sinus and demonstrate its efficacy and complication rate with an early patient series. Methods  Our technique includes the following key components: harvesting of a pedicled periosteal flap, frontal sinus repair through a bifrontal craniotomy with minimal mucosa removal, ensuring the patency of the nasal frontal outflow tract, and separation of the brain from the frontal sinus with a dual layer of periosteum and allograft. All cases of frontal sinus repair using the compartmentalization technique at our institution were reviewed. Charts were reviewed for CSF leak, mucocele, and other complications. Results  Twenty-three patients underwent the described frontal sinus repair technique 17 for tumor and 6 for trauma. There were no CSF leaks and no mucoceles. One patient experienced postoperative anemia and a \"parameningeal reaction\" that were managed with a short course of antibiotics. Conclusions  Compartmentalization, due to its sinus preservation and low complication rate, represents a meaningful step forward in neurosurgical technique for open frontal sinus repair. However, long-term outcomes are necessary to fully evaluate risk of mucocele.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate frontal sinus complications developed after previous external craniotomies requiring frontal sinus reconstruction and their treatment with an endoscopic approach.
METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 22 patients who referred to Sant\'Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital and Bellaria Hospital (Bologna, Italy) between 2005 and 2017. All patients presented with frontal sinus disease after frontal craniotomy with sinus reconstruction performed to treat various pathological conditions. We reported our experience in the endoscopic management of such complications and we reviewed the current literature concerning the endoscopic treatment of these conditions.
RESULTS: In total, 14 frontal mucoceles, 4 cases of chronic frontal sinusitis, 2 mucopyoceles and 2 fungus ball of the frontal sinus were identified. Endoscopic surgical treatment included 7 DRAF IIa, 1 DRAF IIb, 11 DRAF III and 3 DRAF IIc (modified DRAF III) approaches. The success rate of the surgical procedure was 86% (19/22 patients). Recurrence of the initial pathology occurred in three patients (14%) requiring a conversion of previous frontal sinusotomy into a DRAF III sinusotomy.
CONCLUSIONS: Frontal sinusopathy can be a long-term complication following craniotomies and may lead to potentially severe pathological conditions, such as mucoceles and frontal sinus inflammation. Its management is still debated and requires recovery of the patency of nasal-frontal route. Our study confirms that the endoscopic endonasal approach may offer a valid solution with low morbidity avoiding re-opening of the craniotomic access. For selected cases, endoscopic approach could also be performed simultaneously to craniotomy as a combined surgery to reduce the risk of short- and long-term complications. Long-term follow-up is mandatory in patients with a history of opened and reconstructed frontal sinus and should include imaging and endoscopic outpatient evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Neurosurgeons are frequently involved in the management of patients with traumatic frontal sinus injury; however, management options and operative techniques can vary significantly. In this study, the authors review the current literature and retrospectively review the clinical series at a single tertiary referral center.
METHODS: After Institutional Review Board approval, the medical records and computed tomographic (CT) imaging of patients whose traumatic frontal sinus fractures were treated surgically at the University of Utah were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic information, mechanism of injury, associated injuries, operative technique, and pattern of injury on CT were analyzed.
RESULTS: Between 2000 and 2012, 33 patients underwent successful cranialization of the frontal sinus following traumatic injury. The material used to obliterate the sinus varied. No patients required immediate or delayed reoperation. Nasofrontal outflow tract obstruction, the importance of which has been emphasized in the plastic surgery literature, was apparent on either initial or retrospective review of the available CT imaging in 96%.
CONCLUSIONS: In this series, we successfully surgically treated 33 patients with frontal sinus fractures. The presence of cerebrospinal fluid leak, nasofrontal outflow tract injury, associated depressed skull fractures, and subsequent formation of communicating pathways and infection must be considered when constructing a treatment plan. The goals of treatment should be: (i) surgical repair of the defect and elimination of the conduit from the intracranial space to the outside and (ii) elimination of any cerebrospinal fluid pressure gradient that may develop across the surgical repair. We present a treatment algorithm focusing on the presence of nasofrontal outflow tract injury/obstruction, cosmetic deformity, and cerebrospinal fluid leak.