Anatomical Variants, Pneumatization Classification, and Volumetric Studies of the Sphenoid Sinus With High-Resolution Computed Tomography.

OBJECTIVES

Aimed to explore the correlation between the volume of the sphenoid sinuses (SS) and sex, age, pneumatization and its anatomical variant types.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

Retrospectively evaluated high-resolution computed tomography images of 170 individuals; were studied by ITK-SNAP software to measure the volume of SS.

RESULTS

The average volume of SS was a significant difference between the gender, the volume of SS in the elderly group (≥65 years old) showed a downward trend. The volume of the SS in the variants of the anterior clinoid processes, pterygoid processes, greater wings, and clivus were significantly higher than in the nonvariants (P < 0.05). With the expansion of pneumatization, the optic nerve (CNII) type 3-4, the internal carotid artery (ICA) type 2-3 and the septal insertion on the ICA have a larger volume, while the occurrence of septal insertion on only the CNII was not correlated with the volume (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: The volume of SS is closely related to age, sex, the type of pneumatization and anatomical variation. High-resolution computed tomography can facilitate a precise study of anatomical variations and adjacent structures and help ensure the safety of an operation.