What Causes Sphenoid Sinusitis?

Sphenoid Sinusitis usually occurs from the infection or obstruction of the Sphenoid sinuses.

It can be caused by a host of pathogenic organisms including Gram-positive organisms (such as Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae), gram-negative organisms, various anaerobes, and fungi.

Other causes of Sphenoid Sinusitis include anatomical abnormalities (abnormal positioning of the intersinus septum, or ostia), obstruction of sinus ostia due to polyps and/or tumors, and traumatic (a penetrating or blunt injury, or surgical trauma) injuries.

Signs and Symptoms of Sphenoid Sinusitis:

Even though the symptoms of sphenoid sinusitis often vary considerably, most acute sphenoid sinus disease patients experience severe headache that does not respond to narcotics, nasal congestion, fever, lethargy, and decreased visual acuity. In case of non-inflammatory sphenoid sinus diseases, evidence of polyps, cysts, tumors, or salivary gland malignancies is often present in imaging scans.

Sphenoid Chronic Sinusitis Diagnosis:

Sphenoid sinus disease is usually difficult to diagnose in its early stages. In most cases, sphenoid sinus disease is discovered only after it has other associated symptoms/complications. The difficulty in early diagnosis of sphenoid sinusitis primarily stems from the anatomical location of sphenoid sinus structures.

Depending upon the symptoms, diagnosis of sphenoid sinusitis can involve a whole range of tests: CT scans (to investigate possible opacification, retention cysts, polyps, tumors, or aneurysms), MRI scans (to investigate possible soft tissue involvement and to examine surrounding structures including dura, optic nerve, cavernous sinus, etc.), WBC/Differential blood work and blood cultures (to identify pathogenic organisms), and a spinal tap (lumbar puncture) -if meningitis is suspected.

Sphenoid Sinusitis Treatment and Remedies:

Acute Sphenoid sinusitis treatment usually begins with administration of broad-spectrum antibiotics and nasal/topical decongestants. In case of severe/acute sphenoid sinus infections, however, surgical intervention is often necessary in order to open up the blocked sphenoid sinus, promote drainage, and to obtain specimen for culture. Even though endoscopic surgery is often the preferred surgical method, your doctor may consider an intranasal, transseptal, or a transantral approach depending upon the specifics of your case. In some cases, external ethmoidectomy may be indicated.

Sphenoid Sinusitis Prognosis:

Even though surgical interventions involving sphenoid sinusitis can have serious complications, the outcome of sphenoid sinusitis largely dependents on the speed of diagnosis and treatment thereof. Considering that the sphenoid sinuses are located so deeply, and considering the proximity of sphenoid sinuses to various vital neurologic, optic, and vascular structures, it is not uncommon for serious intracranial complications to occur if the disease is not diagnosed/treated early on.

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