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Updated: Oct 20, 2026
Endoscopic Endonasal Trans-sphenoidal Approach: Minimally Invasive Surgery for Pituitary Adenomas
Published on: January 17, 2018
Morphometric analysis and three-dimensional reconstruction of sphenoid sinus: associations of linear dimensions and
Panagiotis Papadopoulos-Manolarakis1, George Triantafyllou2, Christos Georgalas3
1Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece; Department of Neurosurgery, General Hospital of Nikaia-Piraeus, Athens, Greece.
Background:
The sphenoid sinus (SS) shows morphological variability relevant to endoscopic endonasal skull-base access. This study examined associations of SS volume and linear dimensions with pneumatization patterns, extensions, and neurovascular anatomy.
Methods:
This retrospective study included 253 adult sinus computed tomography (CT) examinations. Μaximum anteroposterior (AP max), laterolateral (LL max), and craniocaudal (CC max) dimensions were measured, and SS volume was calculated by semi-automated three-dimensional contouring with manual refinement. Pneumatization patterns and relationships with the internal carotid artery (ICA), optic nerve (ON), and Vidian nerve (VN) were examined using exploratory univariable logistic regression, supplemented by separate age- and sex-adjusted models for neurovascular outcomes.
Results:
Mean SS volume was 11.12 ± 4.50cm³. Males had greater volume (p = 0.001) and AP max (p = 0.013) than females. Volume correlated strongly with LL max (r = 0.791) and AP max (r = 0.705) (both p < 0.001). Each 1-mm increase in AP max was associated with posterior extension (OR = 1.57, 95% CI 1.40-1.76) and ICA (OR = 1.22), ON (OR = 1.13), and VN (OR = 1.24) protrusion and/or dehiscence. Each 1-mm increase in LL max was associated with lateral extension (OR = 1.39, 95% CI 1.28-1.52) and VN protrusion and/or dehiscence (OR = 1.24, 95% CI 1.18-1.31) (p < 0.001). Greater SS volume was associated with protrusion and/or dehiscence of all three structures, and remained associated with these neurovascular outcomes after adjustment for age and sex.
Conclusions:
SS volume and linear dimensions provide complementary quantitative information on the magnitude and direction of pneumatization. AP max and LL max were associated with specific extension patterns and with neurovascular protrusion and/or dehiscence.
