Anatomical Variations of Sphenoidal Air Sinuses – A Computed Tomographic Study
Sankaran Nikilesh, Victorraj Gladwin, B. Subramania Deepak, Ramachandran MadhanAbstract
Introduction:
Sphenoidal air sinuses (SSs) are paired, asymmetrical sinuses situated within the body of the sphenoid bone. SS is the most variable sinus morphologically, and the approach to this is challenging due to its location deep inside the skull base. SSs are closely related to vital structures such as the optic nerve, internal carotid artery, vidian nerve, maxillary nerve, cavernous sinus, and pituitary gland. Computed tomography delineates normal bony and soft tissue structures with increased clarity. The study aimed to analyze the anatomical variations of SS.
Methodology:
A total of 280 paranasal air sinus computed tomographic scan records of patients who were referred to evaluate paranasal air sinuses during the period 2016–2023 at Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, were analyzed for variations of SS.
Results:
In the present study,we observed SS septations in 24.28% of records. Regarding SS pneumatization patterns, the sellar type was the most common on the right side (51.8%), whereas on the left side, it was the post sellar type (46.1%). The extension of pneumatization into the anterior clinoid process, pterygoid plates, and dorsum sellae was observed in 15%, 15%, and 2.5%, respectively. With reference to the Delano classification, in our study, we observed that Type I was the most common type on both the sides.
Conclusion:
Radiologists and surgeons benefit greatly from the advancements in imaging systems because they may accurately identify the anatomical variations of the paranasal air sinuses and design surgical procedures and proceed accordingly.