Head and Neck Imaging - Pictorial Essay

The many faces of fungal disease of the paranasal sinuses: CT and MRI findings

10.5152/dir.2012.003

  • Mahmud Mossa-Basha
  • A. Turan Ilıca,
  • Fernando Maluf,
  • Ömer Karakoç,
  • İzlem İzbudak,
  • Nafi Aygün

Received Date: 15.08.2012 Accepted Date: 14.09.2012 Diagn Interv Radiol 2013;19(3):195-200

The prevalence of fungal rhinosinusitis has increased worldwide over the last two decades. Fungal rhinosinusitis includes a wide variety of infections, from relatively innocent to rapidly fatal processes. Fungal infection may be one of the most challenging forms of sinonasal pathology to manage, especially the invasive forms, which have high mortality rates. Therefore, it is essential to correctly diagnose and classify fungal disease of paranasal sinuses in order to accurately predict prognosis and implement effective therapy. This essay describes the different manifestations of fungal sinusitis on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging to optimize differentiation, and includes correlation with the pathologic classifications.