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Review
. 2017:2017:9650910.
doi: 10.1155/2017/9650910. Epub 2017 Sep 27.

Sphenoid Sinus Diseases: A Review of 1,442 Patients

Supranee Fooanant  1 , Salita Angkurawaranon  2 , Chaisiri Angkurawaranon  3 , Kannika Roongrotwattanasiri  1 , Saisawat Chaiyasate  1
Affiliations
Review

Sphenoid Sinus Diseases: A Review of 1,442 Patients

Supranee Fooanant et al. Int J Otolaryngol. 2017.

Abstract

Objective: To review and report diseases of the sphenoid sinus from the literature and from a university hospital.

Methods: Inpatients' data were retrospectively gathered and reviewed from January 2006 to June 2016. Clinical data, imaging, organisms, and pathological reports were collected. Pathology was divided into infection/inflammation, tumor, and miscellaneous. A literature review was performed with the search term "isolated sphenoid disease" in PubMed. Original primary studies with 20 patients or more were reviewed.

Results and discussion: One hundred and twenty-two patients were enrolled. Seventy-two subjects were female (59%). The average age was 54.3 years (±18.0). Imaging abnormalities were found incidentally in 27 patients (22.1%). The most common symptom was headache (63.9%). Visual loss, the second most common symptom, was more frequent in the tumor group (30.6% versus 54.2%). From the literature review, 21 primary studies with 1,320 total patients were included. From all studies and the present study, infection/inflammation was the most common pathology (75%) [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.696, 0.804]. Overall, tumors were found in 18.9% and malignant tumors in 7.0% [95% CI: 0.045, 0.095].

Conclusion: A specific diagnosis of a sphenoid lesion is needed during active investigation. Infection/inflammation was the most common pathology and malignancy was found in 7%.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study flow.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Total opacification of the left sphenoid sinus (∗) consistent with sinusitis. An infective pseudoaneurysm (arrow) from the cavernous segment of the left ICA protrudes into the left sphenoid sinus and sella turcica (a). Bulging with heterogeneous enhancement of the bilateral cavernous sinuses (arrows) represents thrombophlebitis (b).
Figure 3
Figure 3
A forest plot shows the prevalence of infection/inflammation among the sphenoid sinus lesions.
Figure 4
Figure 4
A forest plot shows the prevalence of malignant tumor among the sphenoid sinus lesions.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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