A case of Kartagener's syndrome with combined aplasia of frontal and sphenoid sinuses and hypoplasia of maxillary and ethmoid sinuses.

Kartagener's syndrome (KS), characterized by a triad of bronchiectasis, chronic sinusitis, and situs inversus, is a subset of an autosomal recessive hereditary disorder of primary ciliary dyskinesia. We report the case of a 35-year-old male who presented with a history of intermittent episodes of productive cough, breathlessness, and cold since childhood. High resolution computed tomography of chest revealed bronchiectatic changes, dextrocardia, and right-sided aortic arch. Computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen revealed situs inversus. CT of the paranasal sinuses revealed combined aplasia of bilateral frontal and sphenoid sinus with sinusitis. Based on these findings, a diagnosis of KS was made. There was no complaint of infertility, which usually accompanies KS, even though an analysis of his seminal fluid revealed reduced count and reduced motility of sperms. The uniqueness of our case is that our patient was a male aged 35 years; besides, the third decade is an unusual age for presentation of combined aplasia/agenesis of bilateral frontal and sphenoid sinuses with hypoplasia of maxillary and ethmoid sinuses. Even though these findings have been reported in children and young adults, there are very few case reports of such a presentation in adults in literature.

A case report of Jarcho-Levin syndrome.

Jarcho-Levin syndrome (JLS) is a rare, congenital disorder, inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, that represents a spectrum of clinical and radiographic abnormalities of the spine and chest. The present case report discusses two siblings, an 11 year old girl and a 6 year old boy, diagnosed as cases of JLS based on family history and clinical-radiological findings. The main features of the syndrome are shortness of stature with a spinal abnormality, multiple abnormal vertebral defects, and a small malformed "fan-like" or "crab-like" rib cage due to posterior fusion and anterior flaring of the ribs, leading to short-trunk dwarfism. The spinal and rib malformations result in a small thoracic cavity, not capable of accommodating the growing lungs, causing thoracic insufficiency resulting in severe cardiac and respiratory complications and frequent chest infections. The diagnosis is based on clinical and radiological findings, characteristic physical appearance, symptoms of thoracic insufficiency, family history, consanguineous parents, skeletal survey, or specialized genetic tests for mutations. Milder forms are compatible with life.