Cyst Of The Right And Left Maxillary Sinus - Causes And Symptoms

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Causes and symptoms of a cyst of the maxillary sinus

Content:

• Maxillary cyst symptoms
• Causes of the maxillary cyst
• Removal of the maxillary cyst

A cyst of the maxillary sinus is a pathological formation in the maxillary sinuses (sinuses are a paired formation that is located in the bones of the skull and is connected to the nasal cavity).

The sinuses are lined with mucous membranes, which have a large number of glands that regularly produce mucus to prevent infection from entering the body.

If the duct of the gland is blocked, then it gradually begins to overflow, stretch and eventually deform into a spherical cyst, which can fill the entire sinus and block the access of air. The maxillary cyst can only be treated surgically.

Maxillary cyst symptoms

A cyst is a rather insidious neoplasm, which sometimes does not cause concern at all, and is discovered quite by accident during an X-ray examination. In addition, the cyst develops slowly, and in the initial stages it is almost imperceptible. It is also interesting that the symptoms do not depend on the size of the cyst. So, a large cyst in the lower sections of the maxillary sinus may not cause any discomfort, and a small cyst located in the upper sections causes pain due to the fact that it presses on a nerve passing nearby. However, there are a number of symptoms that can determine the development of a maxillary cyst.

1. Difficulty nasal breathing, which appears as a result of the growth of the cyst.
2. Discharge from the nose takes on an unpleasant yellowish purulent color - this happens if a cyst ruptures.
3. Headache especially severe in forehead, temple or occiput. The pain can be constant, or it can intensify during a change in weather (weather-sensitive people are especially susceptible to this).
4. Quite often, among the symptoms, there is dizziness, irritability, and decreased performance.
5. Deterioration of memory, sleep and appetite can also mean the development of a cyst.
6. Pain in the area of the maxillary sinuses, which increases with pressure drops (for example, when immersed in water).

All these symptoms indicate the possibility of the formation of a maxillary cyst and require immediate seeking qualified medical help.

Causes of the maxillary cyst

1. Inflammatory processes in the nasopharynx or maxillary sinuses. For example, sinusitis, which leads to inflammation in the sinuses and can cause blockage of the ducts of the glands, which will lead to cysts. Therefore, after getting rid of sinusitis, it is necessary to take an X-ray.
2. Allergy and especially - long-term presence of an allergen in the area of the maxillary sinuses.
3. Diseases of the teeth of the upper jaw.

Removal of the maxillary cyst (surgery)

To clarify the diagnosis, a procedure is performed in which the affected sinus is pierced and a contrast agent is injected into the cyst, which is clearly visible on the subsequent X-ray. Despite the fact that most patients refuse the procedure, fearing an injection, it is completely painless. And, among other things, it improves the patient's condition, since part of the fluid comes out of the cyst, and the discomfort subsides, however, only until the cavity is filled again.

It is possible to get rid of a cyst in the maxillary sinuses only by surgery. Physiotherapy procedures and warming up not only will not help, they are strictly contraindicated, otherwise the disease will develop into extensive sinusitis, which can affect the lower respiratory tract and lungs, provoking pneumonia. In addition, warming up can lead either to proliferation or rupture of the cyst, as well as to its spread to the adjacent sinus, and it will become even more difficult to treat it.

Treatment with nasal sprays and drops will also not clear the cyst and may lead to infection. Therefore, when a maxillary cyst occurs, surgical methods are used.

1. Endoscopic. This is the most modern method for removing a maxillary cyst. Firstly, it does not require making cuts on the face, which reduces trauma, and secondly, the restoration of the mucous membrane of the maxillary sinuses occurs much faster, because this method does not require scraping of the mucous membrane, which can lead to loss of smell and other not very pleasant consequences …

   Another indisputable plus of this method is that the endoscope allows you to examine all the paranasal sinuses and identify the presence of pathologies that may develop due to a cyst.

   In addition, the operation does not require anesthesia, but is carried out under local anesthesia, which shortens the postoperative period and allows you to quickly restore working capacity without affecting the central nervous system.

   We can say that this is a gentle way to remove the maxillary cyst, but, unfortunately, it is not always suitable.

2. Operation Caldwell Luke. This method is less and less used when removing a maxillary cyst: doctors prefer the less traumatic endoscopic method. This operation was first described in 1893, and, of course, has undergone significant changes since then. The operation is performed without the use of anesthesia, under local anesthetic, which blocks pain impulses.

   After anesthesia, an oblique incision is made and trepanation of the maxillary sinus is performed. The diameter of the hole depends on the size of the cyst and its location.

   Recovery after such an operation takes longer, as there is a risk of injury to the anterior sinus wall. However, modern technologies and the development of medicine make it possible to avoid unpleasant consequences.

3. Operation according to Denker. This method differs little from the Caldwell-Luke operation. The main difference is the site of the operative access, because during this operation, trepanation is performed through the anterior wall of the sinus. In addition, this operation requires additional anesthesia. The incision is made in the same way as the Caldwell-Luke method: along the upper fold of the lip, starting from the wisdom tooth to the frenum, after which the soft tissues move and peel off the mucous membrane of the lower nasal passage and part of the nasal floor from the bone. After all the necessary manipulations have been made, the anterior wall of the maxillary bone is trepanned.

   The stitches are removed a few days after the operation, simultaneously with the removal of the tampon from the maxillary sinus.

   This is the most traumatic way to remove a maxillary cyst, but in cases of its occurrence on the posterior wall of the maxillary sinus, it sometimes remains the only possible one, as it allows free manipulations.

Some otolaryngologists argue that the cyst of the maxillary sinus should not be removed if its symptoms do not appear and do not cause discomfort to the patient. However, their skeptical colleagues argue that a cyst not removed in time can cause the development of further defects and inflammatory processes, up to chronic pneumonia, if the disease develops into sinusitis and penetrates into the lower respiratory tract.

In any case, it is better to prevent the disease than to cure, so monitor your health, and if you have symptoms of nasopharyngeal inflammation, consult a doctor.

The author of the article: Lazarev Oleg Vladimirovich | ENT

Education: In 2009, he received a diploma in the specialty "General Medicine" at the Petrozavodsk State University. After completing an internship at the Murmansk Regional Clinical Hospital, he received a diploma in Otorhinolaryngology (2010)