Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 30, 2026

Endoscopic Endonasal Trans-sphenoidal Approach: Minimally Invasive Surgery for Pituitary Adenomas
Published on: January 17, 2018
Endoscopic anatomy of the sphenoid sinus and sella turcica
D S Sethi1, R E Stanley, P K Pillay
1Department of Otolaryngology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore.
Abstract:
An endoscopic study of the sphenoid sinus was carried out, on 30 cadavers, to understand the important anatomical relationships of the sphenoid sinus, and the sella turcica. The aim was to study the endoscopic anatomy and the variants, and to determine if endoscopic instrumentation and techniques, could play a beneficial role in endoscopic management of sellar lesions. The results of this study are discussed, with particular reference to the important surgical anatomical features of the sphenoid sinus. A surgical technique for the endoscopic transsphenoid approach to the sella turcica was developed. Anatomical variants can be identified endoscopically, and endoscopic techniques have the advantages of improved visualization, magnification, angled vision, and a panoramic perspective of the intrasphenoid anatomy, compared to currently employed methods of pituitary/sellar surgery, using the operating microscope.
Related Concept Videos
Cranial Bones: Superior and Posterior View
The frontal bone is the single bone that forms the forehead. At its anterior midline, between the eyebrows, there is a slight depression called the glabella. The frontal bone also forms the supraorbital margin of the orbit. Near the middle of this margin is the supraorbital foramen, the opening that provides passage for a sensory nerve to the forehead. The frontal bone is thickened just above each supraorbital margin,...
Cranial Bones: Lateral View
The temporal bone forms the lower lateral side of the skull. The temporal bone is subdivided into several regions. The flattened upper portion is the squamous portion of the temporal bone. Below this area and projecting anteriorly is the zygomatic process of the temporal bone, which forms the posterior portion of the zygomatic arch. Posteriorly is the mastoid portion of the temporal bone. Projecting...
Anatomy of the Brain: Ventricles
The Pituitary Gland
Nose and Nasal Cavity
Anatomy of Respiratory System I: Upper Respiratory Tract
Nose and nasal cavity
The nose and nasal cavity represent the main external openings of the respiratory tract.

