Sinuses in a Coronal Section of the Skull, Anterior View

Description

Anterior coronal sectioning through the male skull frames the paranasal sinuses as paired air cavities within the frontal bone and maxilla, with the maxillary sinuses lying inferolateral to the nasal cavity and the frontal sinuses positioned superior to the orbits. Medially, the nasal septum divides the nasal cavity, and the conchae (turbinates) project from the lateral nasal wall toward the airway. Ethmoidal air cells occupy the space between the nasal cavity and orbit, while the sphenoidal sinus sits posteriorly in the body of the sphenoid, deeper and more midline than the maxillary chambers. Dental roots of the maxillary teeth approach the sinus floor. Close. Red highlighting of the sinus mucosa and cavities makes this coronal relationship easy to teach because it mirrors how ENT pathology is localized on CT in the coronal plane, including ostiomeatal complex obstruction in chronic rhinosinusitis and ethmoid-predominant disease spreading toward the lamina papyracea. The proximity of the maxillary sinus floor to the posterior maxillary dentition also supports dental and maxillofacial correlations, such as odontogenic maxillary sinusitis or oroantral fistula after extraction. For functional endoscopic sinus surgery planning, this slice helps orient frontal recess drainage superiorly and the ethmoid labyrinth medially adjacent to the orbit. Use it for head and neck anatomy blocks, radiologic anatomy teaching files, and ENT chapters that compare coronal sinus anatomy to endoscopic landmarks and common sites of mucosal thickening. It also fits dental education materials that address maxillary sinus proximity during implant planning and management of sinus complications. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.