Upper Eyelid Fistula Secondary to a Frontal Sinusitis: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Introduction: Sinus disease may occur in individuals who are not otherwise aware that they have problems (occult sinusitis). An upper eyelid fistula is one of the complications of the frontal sinusitis. It can happen as a result of the obstruction of the frontal sinus ostia. Case report: In this article, we reported a case of a 64 years old female patient admitted to our department with a 2 years' history of an upper eyelid fistula secondary to a frontal sinusitis. A paranasal sinus computed tomography (CT) concluded to a frontal and ethmoidal sinusitis associated to a frontal osteitis. The patient underwent a functional endoscopic sinus surgery to establish drainage of the affected sinuses and direct excision of the fistular tract. Conclusion: The development of a sinocutaneous fistula secondary to a frontal sinusitis is rare, but still occurs in the modern antibiotic era. Definitive management of this disease process requires a frontal drainage of the affected sinus with fistula excision and multilayer closure.