Simultaneous occurrence of very small sphenoid and frontal sinuses

ed by E. D. Congdon, aut,hor. Leland Stanford Junior University. Simultaneous occurrence of very small sphenoid and front,al sinuses. Because of the uncertainty as to the reason for failure or incompleteness of sinus development, the present almost unique instance of very rudimentary condition of four sinuses merits description. The sphenoid sinuses were symmetrical in form and position. They were about 4 mni. in sagittal and 14 mm. in craniocaudal diameter. A lateral extension of the cavity brought each into series with the corresponding posterior ethmoid cells. The ostium of the left sinus was so far forward and so lateral as to almost justify the interpretation that it was an ethmoid cell. The ostium region on the other side was destroyed. The cavity interpreted as the left frontal sinus was so sniall that it is not certain that it extended beyond the ethmoid bone. There was no especial condensation of compact bone to warrant the supposition that the sinuses may have been hindered in their development by infantile disease. It is possible that the sphenoid sinuses are to be grouped with others previously described by the writer which were apparently unable to expand through material of the concha-presphenoid fusion plane. No compensation for the loss of these cavities was noticeable in the size of the other sinuses. ACTHOR’S %BSTR.4CI OF THIS PAPER 160UED BY THE BIBLIOGR.4PHIC SERVICE. JCNE 21 SIMULTANEOUS OCCURRENCE OF VERY SMALL SPHENOID AND FRONTAL SINUSES