Woakes’ syndrome: Case report

Woakes’ syndrome is a rare entity, defined as severe recurrent chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, which has as a consequence the deformation of the nasal pyramid, produced by the continuous pressure and the inflammation maintained by the size of the polyps. This paper reviews the main features of Woakes’ syndrome by describing a clinical case.

The patient presented to the ENT Outpatient Clinic for aggravation of an obstructive nasal respiratory syndrome, associated with rhinor-rhea, headache, anosmia and deformity of the nasal pyramid. The ENT clinical examination, the nasal endoscopic examination and the craniofacial CT scan established the diagnosis of Woakes’ syndrome. Functional endoscopic sinus surgery was performed. The follow-ups performed at 10 days and later, a month after surgery, showed a favourable evolution, without signs of local recurrence and a narrowing of the nasal pyramid compared to the preoperative moment. Proper management and proper adherence to the therapeutic protocol are factors that can prevent the onset of this syndrome.