ANATOMICAL VARIATIONS OF SPHENOIDAL INTER-SINUS SEPTA IN TERMS OF NUMBER AND ATTACHMENTS - A CT FINDING

BACKGROUNDSphenoid sinus is an important structure located in the body of the sphenoid bone. It is separated from critical surrounding structures like optic nerve and chiasm, cavernous sinus, pituitary gland and internal carotid artery by a thin bony lamella. Because of its location and close relation to these important anatomical structures, diagnosis and treatment of sphenoid sinus pathologies are very challenging. In the era of endoscopic approach to the sphenoid sinus and skull base, the detailed knowledge of anatomy of sphenoid sinus and its closely related structures is mandatory.The objective of this study is, in this study we concentrated on the variations in the anatomy of sphenoid septa in terms of number and attachment to the nearby structures with the help of computed tomography.MATERIALS AND METHODSRetrospective analysis of the computed tomography of the PNS of 80 patients who came to the OPD of Department of ENT, Head and Neck Surgery, MLB Medical College, Jhansi with the complaints of headache, nasal discharge and nasal blockade was carried out. Anatomy of the sphenoid sinus and the variations in its anatomy were noted.RESULTWith this study, we found that there are numerous anatomical variations in the sphenoid septum in its number and attachment. Commonest type being single complete septum and commonest attachment was to carotid artery.CONCLUSIONKnowledge of sphenoid sinus anatomy for every single patient before sphenoid surgery is paramount and should be obtained with the help of pre-operative computed tomographic study of the paranasal sinuses.