Invasive sphenoid sinus aspergillosis mimicking sellar tumor: a report of 4 cases and systematic literature review

Background: Invasive sphenoid sinus aspergillosis is a rare but life-threatening condition usually found in immunocompromised patients. When involving cavernous sinus and surrounding structures, patients are frequently misdiagnosed with a neoplasm or sellar abscess. Timely diagnosis and intervention are crucial to patients' outcomes. The objective of this study is to review cases of invasive sphenoid sinus aspergillosis to describe disease manifestations, imaging features, treatment, and outcome.

Case presentation: We describe four patients with invasive sphenoid sinus aspergillosis misdiagnosed as sellar tumors preoperatively. The mass was completely removed in three patients and partially removed in one patient microscopically. Pathological examinations confirmed Aspergillus in all cases. All four patients received anti-fungal agents postoperatively. There was no recurrence at the time of each patient's follow-up date. One patient with complete resection was lost to follow-up while the other three patients' neurologic function improved. Additionally, we performed a systematic review regarding invasive sphenoid sinus aspergillosis of existing English literature.

Conclusion: With regard to clinical symptoms, headache, vision impairment, and ophthalmoplegia were observed in over half of the patients in the literature. A sellar mass with bone destruction on CT and involvement of cavernous sinus is highly suggestive of invasive fungal sphenoid sinusitis. Immediate surgical removal of the lesion is recommended for invasive sphenoid sinus aspergillosis to preserve nerve function and increase the likelihood of survival.