The Association of Sinusitis with Central Skull Base Osteomyelitis: A Systematic Review

We aim to provide an updated and comprehensive review of the current literature on the clinical profile and treatment options of CSBO caused by sinusitis. Three databases, Pubmed, Embase and Scopus, were searched from inception until 2 October 2022. Titles and abstracts were used for the first stage of study selection; subsequently, full texts were screened for final inclusion. Nine studies were included, with eight case reports and one case series. Patients ranged between 33 and 75 years old, with four females and four males total in the case reports. In the case series, there were 14 patients with a mean age of 62 years old. Patients with CSBO secondary to sinusitis often present with non-specific symptoms which may mimic other pathologies of the head and neck. A high index of suspicion for CSBO is important in the presence of an unremitting headache or cranial nerve palsy. Treatment options include culture-directed long-term antibiotics and surgery. The role of surgery in these patients, however, needs to be investigated more thoroughly. We believe that more large-cohort observational studies assessing the association between sinusitis and CSBO should be performed to further analyze and evaluate this topic.