Sphenoid sinus
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The sphenoid sinus is the most posterior paranasal sinus. It lies antero-inferior to the sella. It is important to look for the variable pneumatisation of this sinus and to report the relationship with neurovascular structures.
Pneumatisation starts at around 2 year of age and it develops more slowly than the other paranasal sinuses.
Gross anatomy
The sphenoid sinus is formed within the body of the sphenoid bone, communicating with the roof of the nasal cavity via the spheno-ethmoidal recess in its anterior wall.
Relations
- superiorly: cavernous sinus, sella turcica and its contents
- inferiorly: nasal cavities
- anteriorly: nasal cavities
- posteriorly: contents of the middle cranial fossa, posterior ethmoidal sinus
- laterally: cavernous sinus, cranial cavity
Types of pneumatisation
- conchal
- lateral recess
- presellar
- sellar (which can be incomplete or complete)
Blood supply
- arterial supply: posterior ethmoidal artery, nasal branches of the sphenopalatine artery
- venous drainage: superior ophthalmic veins via posterior ethmoidal veins
Lymphatic drainage
Lymph drainage occurs via afferent vessels leading into the retropharyngeal nodes.
Innervation
- parasympathetic: orbital branches of the pterygopalatine ganglia
- sensory: posterior ethmoidal nerve from the nasociliary nerve, a branch of the ophthalmic division of the trigeminal nerve
Variant anatomy
With respect to optic nerve relationship:
- type 1: adjacent to sphenoid sinus
- type 2: indenting the sinus
- type 3: traversing the sinus
- type 4: adjacent to posterior ethmoid sinus
See also
-<p>The <strong>sphenoid sinus</strong> is the most posterior paranasal sinus. It lies antero-inferior to the sella. It is important to look for the variable pneumatisation of this sinus and to report the relationship with neurovascular structures.</p><p>Pneumatisation starts at around 2 year of age and it develops more slowly than the other <a href="/articles/paranasal-sinuses">paranasal sinuses</a>.</p><h4>Gross anatomy</h4><p>The sphenoid sinus is formed within the body of the sphenoid, communicating with the roof of the nasal cavity via the spheno-ethmoidal recess in its anterior wall.</p><h5>Relations</h5><ul>-<li>superiorly: cavernous sinus, sella turcica and its contents</li>-<li>inferiorly: nasal cavities</li>- +<p>The <strong>sphenoid sinus</strong> is the most posterior <a title="Paranasal sinus" href="/articles/paranasal-sinuses">paranasal sinus</a>. It lies antero-inferior to the <a title="sella" href="/articles/pituitary-fossa-1">sella</a>. It is important to look for the variable pneumatisation of this sinus and to report the relationship with neurovascular structures.</p><p>Pneumatisation starts at around 2 year of age and it develops more slowly than the other <a href="/articles/paranasal-sinuses">paranasal sinuses</a>.</p><h4>Gross anatomy</h4><p>The sphenoid sinus is formed within the body of the <a title="Sphenoid bone" href="/articles/sphenoid-bone">sphenoid bone</a>, communicating with the roof of the nasal cavity via the <a title="Sphenoethmoid recess" href="/articles/sphenoethmoid-recess">spheno-ethmoidal recess</a> in its anterior wall.</p><h5>Relations</h5><ul>
- +<li>superiorly: <a title="Cavernous sinus" href="/articles/cavernous-sinus">cavernous sinus</a>, <a title="sella turcica" href="/articles/pituitary-fossa-1">sella turcica</a> and its contents</li>
- +<li>inferiorly: <a title="Nasal cavity" href="/articles/nasal-cavity">nasal cavities</a>
- +</li>
-<li>posteriorly: contents of the middle cranial fossa, posterior ethmoidal sinus</li>- +<li>posteriorly: contents of the <a title="Middle cranial fossa" href="/articles/middle-cranial-fossa">middle cranial fossa</a>, posterior ethmoidal sinus</li>
-<li>arterial supply: <a href="/articles/ophthalmic-artery">posterior ethmoidal artery</a>, nasal branches of the sphenopalatine artery</li>- +<li>arterial supply: <a href="/articles/ophthalmic-artery">posterior ethmoidal artery</a>, nasal branches of the <a title="Sphenopalatine artery" href="/articles/sphenopalatine-artery">sphenopalatine artery</a>
- +</li>
-<li>parasympathetic: orbital branches of the <a title="pterygopalatine ganglia" href="/articles/pterygopalatine-ganglia">pterygopalatine ganglia</a>- +<li>parasympathetic: orbital branches of the <a href="/articles/pterygopalatine-ganglia">pterygopalatine ganglia</a>
-<li>sensory: <a title="Posterior ethmoidal nerve" href="/articles/posterior-ethmoidal-nerve">posterior ethmoidal nerve</a> from the <a title="Nasociliary nerve" href="/articles/nasociliary-nerve">nasociliary nerve</a>, a branch of the ophthalmic division of the <a title="Trigeminal nerve" href="/articles/trigeminal-nerve">trigeminal nerve</a>- +<li>sensory: <a href="/articles/posterior-ethmoidal-nerve">posterior ethmoidal nerve</a> from the <a href="/articles/nasociliary-nerve">nasociliary nerve</a>, a branch of the ophthalmic division of the <a href="/articles/trigeminal-nerve">trigeminal nerve</a>
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