Sphenoid sinuses are carved into the body of the sphenoid bone. They are probably the most variably pneumatized structures of the skull. They begin their pneumatization at the age of three and finished at adolescence. Several anatomic variants of sphenoid sinuses have been described in the literature. The agenesis of sphenoid sinuses in adults is very rarely found. We report two incidental cases of sphenoid sinuses agenesis discovered on CT scan in Benin, West Africa.
Sphenoid sinuses are irregular cavities dug in the body of the sphenoid. They have been described as the most variable cavities of the human body [
Young woman, 33 years old, with no particular medical antecedent, in whom a CT skull scan was requested in the context of head trauma on June 15, 2016. Computed tomographic scanning was performed in the Radiology Department of the CNHU / HKM on EMOTION SIEMENS 16 slices. No traumatic lesions were found, including no bleeding or fracture. But there was an absence pneumatization of the sphenoid sinuses (
A 66-year-old woman with a history of high blood pressure was received in the
Sex | Age | Clinical characteristics | CT scan skull findings | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Case 1 | Female | 33 | Head trauma | No bleeding, no fracture Agenesis of sphenoid sinuses and right frontal sinus |
Case 2 | Female | 66 | Stroke | Ischemic stroke of the territory of the right posterior artery Agenesis of sphenoid sinuses |
Radiology Department of CNHU/HKM on June 25, 2016; for the exploration of a left hemi-corporeal deficit. Computed tomographic examination revealed an ischemic stroke of the territory of the right posterior artery. The visualization of the bone window found an absence of the pneumatisation of the sphenoid sinuses (
The body of the sphenoid bone is hollowed out in its interior to form two large cavities, the sphenoid sinuses. The spaces occupied by sphenoid sinuses largely vary. These cavities are asymmetrical irregular. The sphenoid sinuses are absent at birth. Their pneumatization begins around three years old, but they reach their maximal size only at adolescence [
Depending on the degree of pneumatization of the sphenoid sinuses, there are three main types: the conchal type, the presellar type and the sellar type [
24.9% of studied samples in Benin [
Agenesis of the sphenoid sinuses seems to be more frequent in female subjects [
Sometimes, pneumatization of the sphenoid sinuses extends to adjacent structures such as anterior clinoid processes, pterygoid processes, lesser and great wings of the sphenoid [
When they are well pneumatized, sphenoid sinuses are a preferred route of choice for surgery in the sellar region [
In our two patients, there was no pneumatization of the adjacent structures of sphenoid sinuses. In this case, the surgeon needs to mill the middle part of the sphenoid body [
It is therefore important to specify clearly the type of pneumatisation of the sphenoid sinuses by using CT scan before any endonasal surgery [
Agenesis of sphenoid sinuses documented using CT among Black African is extremely rare. The more use of CT in head and neck pathology will increase this rate in Black African country.
The authors have no conflict of interest to declare
Akanni D conceived the study. Agossou C and Sansuamou E collected the data. Akanni D drafted the manuscript. All authors approved the final version of the article.
Akanni, D., Agossou, C., Sansuamou, E., Bouraïma, F., Yèkpè, P., de Tovè, K.-M.S., Biaou, O. and Boco, V. (2019) Incidental Discovery of Sphenoid Sinuses Agenesis: A Report of Two Cases in Benin, West Africa. Advances in Molecular Imaging, 9, 1-5. https://doi.org/10.4236/ami.2019.91001