© Kirrawee Veterinary Hospital CANINE DISEASES
Sinus swelling
Sinuses are air filled cavities within the bone structure of the
skull. The largest of these are the frontal sinuses which are
located across the front of the skull above the level of the eyes.
They form a protective space between the outer bone of the skull
and the bone encasing the brain. The frontal sinuses are connected
to the cavity of the nose. Bacterial or fungal infections and tumors in the nasal area can
invade the frontal sinus. As these conditions progress the pressure
within the sinus can push the bone outward producing a hard "boney"
swelling on the forehead. A discharge from the nostrils is another
common finding with these conditions. A range of both benign and malignant (cancerous) tumors have been
isolated from the frontal sinus of effected dogs and cats. These
include tumors derived from gland cells (adenocarcinoma and lymphosarcoma),
fibrous tissue (fibrosarcoma), cartilage (chondrosarcoma) and
bone (osteosarcoma). Xrays of the skull are used to identify the extent of spread of
the infection or tumor within the sinuses. It generally necessary
to surgically open the sinus however to both accurately identify
the cause and treat sinus swelling through removal of the contents
and establishing good drainage out through the nose. Treatment
of tumors is rarely successful in the long term because of the
difficulty in completely removing all the tumor tissue and the
potential for spread to other organs. Related sites |