Incidence of Sphenoid Sinusitis by CT and MRI

At the 1986 Rocky Mountain Neuro-ophthalmologic meeting the group from an unnamed city in the East reported that they saw evidence of sphenoid sinus disease at least 40% - 50% of the time. This did not seem to match our experience at the University of Iowa. The following study was undertaken to verify our impression that the sphenoid is not as frequently diseased as it was reported to be in this eastern city. We reviewed 100 consecutive routine CT scans of in- and out-patients; 100 consecutive MRI scans; and because not all sinuses could be visualized in 100 routine scans, 100 CT scans of the posterior fossa were reviewed. All scans were reviewed by a radiologist and two neurologists. All scans were of patients over 12 years of age.