Quantitative histology of the normal sphenoidal sinus

From 32 normal sphenoidal sinuses in 16 patients the mucosa was removal at autopsy, stained by the PAS-alcian blue whole mount method, and the density of goblet cells as well as of mucous glands was determined. The median density of goblet cells was 6200 cells per mm2, without statistically significant differences between the walls. The median density of glands was very low, 0.06 gland/mm2, highest in the anterior wall which has 0.1 gland/mm2 and lowest in the posterior wall which has 0.05 gland/mm2. The total gland count was less than 50 in 94% of the sinuses, 51--80 in 4%. The glands were small, tubulo-acinous. Hence, the production of mucus by the glands is entirely negligible in relation to that of the goblet cells.