Anatomical variations of the sphenoid sinus structure and types of its pneumatization

Despite the achievements in otorhinolaryngology and radiology, the sphenoid sinus has been and still remains to be subject of interest for rhinologists in all over the world. This is primarily is due to the rapid development of endoscopic surgery of the sphenoid sinus, skull base and of endoscopic neurosurgery, which made transphenoidal approach possible for excision of various pathology the sellar and parasellar location. The sphenoid sinus is extremely variable in its development and pneumatization, which often make the surgery difficult to perform. Therefore, it is consider that, both endoscopic sphenotomy and transsphenoidal surgeries are contraindicated in some types of sphenoid sinus pneumatization due to the high risk of complications.

A detailed analysis of sphenoid sinus pneumatization variants, its relationship with neighboring neurovascular structures is presented in our paper. The presented data will allow for a better understanding of its anatomy, which is important for the detailed planning of endoscopic sphenotomy and transsphenoidal operations. This will help increasing the surgical efficiency by avoiding severe complications associated with surgery of the base of the skull region.

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