An Anterior Perspective of the Sinuses Within a Coronal Section of the Skull of a Human Male

Description

Seen in a coronal cross section from an anterior perspective, the paranasal sinus system is opened to show the paired maxillary sinuses lateral to the nasal cavity, their walls formed by the maxilla and their floors lying superior to the maxillary alveolar process. Superior to the nasal cavity, the frontal sinuses sit within the frontal bone, separated by an intersinus septum and draining inferiorly toward the frontal recess. Medial to the orbit, the ethmoid air cells cluster between the nasal cavity and lamina papyracea, with the nasal septum (perpendicular plate of the ethmoid and vomer) dividing right and left nasal fossae. Clear boundaries. This anterior-coronal orientation is the teaching workhorse for sinus anatomy because it mirrors the way surgeons and radiologists think about the ostiomeatal complex, where obstruction commonly drives recurrent maxillary and frontal sinusitis. The relationship of the ethmoid labyrinth to the orbital wall is a practical risk map: thin lamina papyracea laterally and the skull base (cribriform plate/fovea ethmoidalis) superiorly define the common pathways for orbital complications or cerebrospinal fluid leak during functional endoscopic sinus surgery. Use this artwork in head and neck anatomy courses, otolaryngology teaching files, and radiology atlases to annotate sinus boundaries, drainage pathways, and adjacent hazards for coronal CT correlation. It also fits patient-facing materials that explain why dental infection can refer to the maxillary sinus or why ethmoid disease can present with orbital symptoms. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.