Cochlear implantation is an effective procedure for treating patients with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss. Silent sinus syndrome (SSS) is an uncommon disease that affects the maxillary sinus. It is diagnosed clinically and confirmed radiologically. This study describes the case of a four-year-old child who presented with bilateral profound congenital hearing loss with a family history of congenital hearing loss. The patient had no significant complaints regarding the paranasal sinuses or orbits. Radiological evaluation, including temporal bone computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the ear and internal auditory meatus, showed normal anatomy of the inner ear and petrous bone bilaterally. However, findings of SSS were incidentally detected in the left maxillary sinus. The patient underwent bilateral simultaneous cochlear implantation. On the second postoperative day, he developed left-sided ophthalmoplegia, pain on eye movement, mild proptosis, and upper and lower eyelid swelling with erythema and tenderness. The patient improved rapidly following antibiotic treatment and was almost normal by the fifth postoperative day with no notable findings; hence, he was discharged. Surgeons should carefully evaluate preoperative radiological images of the paranasal sinuses for any malformation or pathology, so that appropriate medical or surgical treatment can be given.

Odontogenic sinusitis is the most common cause of isolated maxillary sinusitis. Accurate diagnosis is important to ensure optimal treatment. We discuss the unique presentation of a 55-year-old man with odontogenic sinusitis and associated infraorbital nerve neuropathy. We document his later development of chronic maxillary atelectasis and discuss the possible underlying pathophysiology linking this with his infraorbital neuropathy.

Silent sinus syndrome (SSS) is a rare condition characterized by the collapse of the maxillary sinus and the sinking of the eye socket (enophthalmos). Only around 100 cases of SSS have been reported so far. The underlying cause of this condition is the chronic obstruction of the osteomeatal complex, which leads to sinus contraction. In this case, we present a novel finding linking SSS with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA). The patient described is a 39-year-old male who was diagnosed with SSS after a prolonged period of sinus pressure, headaches, epistaxis, and generalized congestion. Additionally, the patient reported a significant autoimmune history, including a previous occurrence of ANCA-mediated glomerulonephritis. Surgical intervention revealed the presence of significant granulation tissue, while histopathological examination identified areas of necrosis, vasculitis, and multinucleated giant cells consistent with GPA. This finding was further supported by the detection of positive blood c-ANCA. This case is particularly noteworthy as it is the first reported instance of GPA causing SSS. It serves as an excellent example to illustrate the underlying pathophysiology of SSS.

Silent sinus syndrome is a rare clinical entity affecting the maxillary sinus, characterized by ipsilateral enophthalmos and hypoglobus. Its etiology and pathophysiology are still debated. It is diagnosed by clinical examination and confirmed with computed tomography. It is commonly managed surgically. We present the case of a 34-year-old woman with silent sinus syndrome treated with a patient-specific implant for orbital reconstruction, functional endoscopic sinus surgery approach, intraoperative scan, and surgical navigation, successfully restoring orbital volume and sinus ventilation.

CONCLUSIONS: Silent sinus syndrome (SSS) and chronic maxillary atelectasis (CMA) represent an overlapping clinical entity, both likely lying on the spectrum of one disease process. There is widespread inconsistency of diagnosis in the literature of reported cases of SSS and CMA. We propose a novel, comprehensive staging system to simplify diagnosis and inform management.

The diagnostic criteria for silent sinus syndrome (SSS) are still controversial, especially for the post-traumatic/surgery cases that are, nowadays, excluded from the diagnosis of SSS because lacking of spontaneously. We present a systematic review of the last 10 years and our case series of SSS associated to previous trauma/surgery, proposing a new interpretation of SSS. In this work, following the PRISMA guide lines for systematic reviews, we collected 86 articles published on PubMed, Cochrane Library and Medline Plus since 2013 to 2023 about SSS. We divided them in six groups forming the structure of the review: (1) epidemiology, (2) clinical presentation, (3) imaging, (4) etiopathogenesis, (5) sss and craniofacial trauma and (6) treatment. We reported two explicative clinical cases: two men of 34 and 37 years old, involved in motorcycle accident in 2020 and 2014, respectively, and underwent surgery. They came back in 2023 referring diplopia documented by Hess-Lancaster test. CT-scan reported two clear cases of SSS. Basing on what is reported in literature, and basing on our experience, the post-traumatic/surgery SSS are more frequent than the idiopathic ones. Our proposal is to considered them as two individual entities. We propose to adopt the name of Post-traumatic sinus syndrome, or CDR syndrome (Catalfamo-De Rinaldis), for all cases that respect four specific diagnostic criteria reported into the text.

Silent sinus syndrome refers to a spontaneous enophthalmos caused by maxillary sinus collapse without any symptomatic sinonasal illnesses. Its prevalence is almost entirely unilateral. The authors report a patient with a bilateral silent sinus syndrome managed successfully by middle meatal antrostomies. This case brings attention to recognizing bilateral silent sinus syndrome. Because of its bilateral involvement, the facial disfigurement might be recognized late due to the symmetrical presentation. This article highlights the pathophysiology and reports the detailed course of such a rare disease. The balloon dilatation is promising as a newly described treatment modality in a patient with silent sinus syndrome, although more long-term data on its outcome is needed.

A 65-year-old patient was referred to the Faculty of Dentistry, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran, with left facial pain and numbness in the upper lip. Based on clinical examinations and radiographic investigations, the patient was diagnosed with silent sinus syndrome. This study discusses oral findings associated with silent sinus syndrome.

Silent sinus syndrome (SSS) is a relatively rare clinical condition occurring in the maxillary sinus exhibiting progressive enophthalmos and hypoglobus. The communication between the orbit and maxillary antrum due to trauma further leads to changes in the maxillary sinus. This could lead to the development of negative pressure within the maxillary sinus, collapse of antrum walls, and sucking in of orbital contents. Here, we present a case of a delayed orbital trauma, which was not treated initially. The patient\'s complaint was a constant feeling of a sunken right eye along with restriction in eye movements. On examination, the clinical and radiographic features were consistent with SSS. Orbital floor reconstruction was performed with the help of a titanium mesh for the correction of hypoglobus and enophthalmos. During follow-up, the patient showed no recurrence of the presenting functional and esthetic complaints. This clinical entity needs prompt diagnosis and early intervention so as to prevent further complications.

BACKGROUND: Silent sinus syndrome (SSS) is a rare entity, almost exclusively involving the maxillary sinus, frontal location being very rarely reported. The aim of the present study was to describe clinical and radiological characteristics and surgical treatment using the CARE methodology.
RESULTS: One woman and 2 men were referred for chronic unilateral frontal pain with imagery showing silent sinus syndrome. All showed partial or complete liquid opacification of the affected sinus associated with a thin interfrontal sinus (IFS) retracted toward the affected sinus. Functional endoscopic sinus surgery was performed in all cases, with good functional results.
CONCLUSIONS: We describe 3 cases of SSS with IFS involvement. The frontal sinus wall seemed most vulnerable, probably most liable to be weakened by atelectasis. The study suggests that frontal SSS can be an etiology in chronic frontal sinusitis. Preoperative findings of IFS retraction are useful for surgical restoration of frontal sinus ventilation, relieving chronic pain and preventing complications.