Total aplasia of the paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity: the first case report

Abstract

Abstract Background The paranasal sinuses (PNSs) are small empty spaces around the nasal cavity at the entrance to the respiratory tract, and they have various functions. The development and anatomy of the PNSs are exposed to many variations, often leading to patients’ complaints upon presentation. Case presentation Here, the first case of total aplasia of the paranasal sinuses and nasal cavity and its contents is presented. Several cases of varying degrees of combined aplasia and hypoplasia, even total sinus aplasia, have been reported in the literature, but to the author’s knowledge, no cases of total sinus aplasia and associated nasal aplasia have been described thus far. Conclusion This case report describes a rare, and probably the first, case of severe sinonasal developmental defects elegantly identified with bone window computed tomography (CT).