Sphenoid Sinus Diseases: A Review of 1,442 Patients

Abstract EN

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%.