CT imaging and clinical features of sinus fungus ball with bone erosion

Background: Bone erosion is a common manifestation of sinus fungus ball (SFB) on CT imaging, however, the relationship between CT imaging and clinical features of SFB with bone erosion were not clear. Purpose: To evaluate the CT imaging and clinical features of sinus fungus ball with bone erosion and to explore the possible factors underlying its formation. Material and methods: The clinical data of 175 patients with fungal ball who received surgical treatment at our department from January 2009 to December 2013 were selected continuously and analyzed retrospectively. Patients were divided into the bone erosion group (group A) and non-bone erosion group (group B) according to the CT results. Results: The incidence of bone erosion in CT imaging was 31.43%. The course of patients in groups A and B was 20.35 ± 4.65 and 11.04 ± 2.36 months, respectively (P = 0.023). The incidence of diabetes in fungus ball was 5.14%, and the prevalence in groups A and B was 5.45% (3/55) and 5% (6/120), respectively (P = 0.899). After functional endoscopic sinus surgery, the total fungus ball cure rate was 98.8%, being 98.08% and 99.13% in groups A and B, respectively (P = 0.86). Conclusion: Fungus ball of the paranasal sinus with bony erosion is likely due to long-time mechanical compression; bone erosion does not significantly affect the effectiveness of endoscopic sinus surgery. Journal of Nature and Science, 1(4):e69, 2015