Superior View The Posterior Ethmoidal Air Cells

Description

Posterior ethmoidal air cells occupy the posterior portion of the ethmoidal labyrinth, clustered immediately lateral to the cribriform plate of the ethmoid and posterior to the bulla ethmoidalis within the honeycomb of thin bony septa. From a superior perspective, the roof of these cavities lies just inferior to the anterior cranial fossa, with the fovea ethmoidalis and lateral lamella forming the skull base boundary, while the lamina papyracea sits laterally as the medial orbital wall. Medially, the air cells approach the superior nasal concha and upper nasal cavity, and posteriorly they taper toward the sphenoethmoidal recess and anterior face of the sphenoid. These spaces matter because their proximity to the skull base and orbit makes posterior ethmoid disease and surgery unforgiving. Posterior ethmoid sinusitis can extend to the orbit through the lamina papyracea, and inflammatory or iatrogenic violation of the lateral lamella near the cribriform plate is a classic pathway for cerebrospinal fluid leak. Small margins. The superior vantage in this illustration prioritizes the relationship between the ethmoidal septations, the cribriform plate region, and the orbital boundary, a layout that aligns well with preoperative planning concepts in functional endoscopic sinus surgery, where surgeons mentally map the basal lamella, posterior ethmoid partitions, and the expected course of the posterior ethmoidal artery near the skull base. Use this illustration in head and neck anatomy labs, otolaryngology teaching files, and figure panels for sinusitis, endoscopic ethmoidectomy, and skull base complication discussions in medical textbooks or journal reviews. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.