Pneumosinus dilatans of the sphenoid and visual loss: when should the optic nerve be decompressed?

Pneumosinus dilatans of the sphenoid sinus is a rare disorder which can be responsible for visual impairment and blindness. We present the case of an adolescent female who experienced progressive decrease in right-eye vision over 2 years. CT scan of the head showed an extensive pneumatization of the sphenoid bone extending to the lesser wing of the sphenoid and to the anterior clinoid process on the right side. MRI revealed right nerve atrophy in the optic canal and in the posterior part of the orbit. A surgical decompression of the right optic canal was performed via an intradural fronto-pterional approach. Postoperatively, her vision worsened, and at 3 years the patient was able to count fingers at 2.5 m. Our case and literature review of symptomatic sphenoidal pneumosinus dilatans confirmed that visual prognosis in such cases depended on the preoperative visual status. Early surgical decompression should be proposed whenever possible, before signs of severe visual disorders and optic atrophy.