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Bony defects of the orbit with connection to the paranasal sinuses can lead to orbital emphysema. A case of compression of the optic nerve due to orbital emphysema in a 39-year-old man is reported. Visual acuity was hand movements only and intraocular pressure was increased to 32 mm Hg with an exophthalmus of 6 mm in comparison to the unaffected side. A sufficient pressure relief could be achieved by canthotomy with cantholysis and radial peritomy.

Background: Clinical application of bioartificial tracheal prosthesis must still be regarded as an experimental concept because restoration of a functional respiratory epithelium outlining the prosthesis is still not possible. Tissue engineering as a relatively new biotechnological discipline may offer new methods in expanding differentiated respiratory epithelium in vitro. In this study we compare two different cell and tissue culture procedures for growing human nasal mucosa on commercially available collagen foil., Material and Methods: Harvested specimens of human nasal mucosa (n = 6, 4 x 4 cm) were placed on collagen foil and incubated as tissue cultures for 4, 6 and 8 weeks. A suspension of enzymatically dispersed nasal epithelium seeded on collagen foil (5 x 10(5) cells) served as control. Cell growth and ciliary beat were monitored through an inverted microscope with Hoffman's modulation contrast and video set-up. Histological examination was performed after 4, 6 and 8 weeks., Results: In the tissue cultures, the collagen foil was initially covered with fibroblasts growing from the mucosa specimen before epithelial cells spread out. The epithelial layer showed mostly ciliated cells which developed metachronous ciliary beat after 4 weeks in vitro. Ciliary activity was observed until the end of the experiments in 8 weeks. New cells on the suspension cultures were mesenchymal and did not exhibit any ciliary activity., Conclusions: Mucosa specimens seem to be more appropriate for tissue engineering of respiratory epithelium than cell suspensions from nasal epithelium. Collagen foil as tissue scaffold initiates epithelial-mesenchymal interaction and may play an important role in epithelial differentiation of new respiratory epithelium.

Background: Inverted papilloma is a benign sinunasal tumor, characterized by aggressive nature and tendency to recur. This tumor also has a significant malignant potential (10%). In spite of extensive research in the past the origin of inverted papilloma is not known., Methods: A retrospective analysis of the clinical data of 28 patients suffering from inverted papilloma of the nose and paranasal sinuses with regard to symptoms, clinical examination, computed tomography findings, and operative management was performed. Furthermore, immunohistochemical examinations of the cytokeratin profile of 12 specimens were carried out., Results: The most presenting symptoms were unilateral nasal obstruction (17.61%) and rhinorrhea (7.25%). Polyposis was seen endoscopically in 19 cases (68%), so that in many patients in inverted papilloma became suspicious in the CT scan. The surgical therapy was dictated by the extent of the tumor, so that the tumor was treated by lateral rhinotomy (n = 17), midfacial degloving (n = 5), endonasal endoscopic surgery (n = 5), and craniofacial resection due to an infiltration of the frontal skull base (n = 1). An immunohistochemical analysis of the cytokeratin profile revealed for the first time that the inverted papilloma, when compared to the normal surface epithelium of the nasal cavity and the paranasal sinuses, exhibits increased expression of cytokeratin 5, typical for basal cells, and cytokeratin 13, typical for squamous epithelial cells., Conclusions: Based on our results we recommend that the endonasal approach is reliable for processes restricted to the middle nasal meatus and the anterior and middle ethmoid cells. Inverted papilloma of the frontal sinus, retrobulbar and supraorbital ethmoid cells, and laterocaudal parts of the maxillary sinus should be resected via lateral rhinotomy or midfacial degloving. The findings of immunohistochemical examinations suggest that inverted papilloma is derived from a cytokeratin 5-immunoreactive cell of the basal layer of the mucosa.