Introduction

A fungal ball – otherwise known as a mycetoma – is a collection of fungus that grows in one of your sinuses – usually either the maxillary or sphenoid sinus.

Causes of Fungal Ball

We all breathe in thousands of spores of fungus per day. As we inhale, some fungus deposits in our sinuses. In certain people, this fungus starts to grow in the moist environment of the sinus and develops into a fungal ball. This growth occurs over an extended period – probably occurring over years.

Symptoms

Many patients with a fungal ball have no symptoms at all. In cases such as this, the fungal ball is often identified on a CT Scan as an incidental finding. Other symptoms that you may get from a fungal ball are:

• Runny nose.
• Postnasal drip.
• Facial pain or pressure on one side.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of a fungal ball is usually made with a CT scan of the sinuses. Patients with a fungal ball have a characteristic finding of double densities in the affected sinus.

Treatment

A fungal ball should be managed by surgery. The surgery involves opening the involved sinus and clearing all the fungus out of the sinus. After the operation, patients need to use copious amounts of saline to regularly flush their sinuses to ensure that the sinus recovers appropriately. This procedure is highly successful and usually does not need to be repeated.

Related Information

Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS)

To discuss fixing your fungal ball, please make an appointment with Dr Dan Robinson.