Patients with chronic sinusitis often encounter inflammatory processes in the sphenoid sinus of the nose. Such a disease is called sphenoiditis, but what it is, we'll talk further. The disease is rare, and since it is often chronic, it requires surgery.
What is sphenoiditis?
This ailment is associated with an inflammatory process that takes place in the mucosa of the sphenoid sinus. It is located in the nasal cavity next to organs such as the optic nerves, pituitary gland, carotid arteries. In this regard, pathology can lead to serious complications.
The infection has a viral origin, which affects every fifth patient with sinusitis. The reasons for the appearance of sphenoiditis are:
- polyps or cyst, formed in the sphenoid sinus;
- curvature of the septum of the nose;
- penetration of foreign matter into the sinus;
- presence of a tumor in the subclavian cavity.
Elimination of the cause of the disease allows you to cope with the disease.
Symptoms of sphenoiditis
The main symptom of the disease are pain in the center of the head, giving to the back of the head. Some patients complain of pain in the temples or the temples. In addition to pain, the disease is accompanied by such signs:
- problems with sleep;
- memory impairment;
- irritability.
For a long time, the symptoms are ignored, since the patient is associated with fatigue and stress with headache and emotional instability.
Chronic sphenoiditis
Repeated inflammations lead to the formation of an acute form of sphenoiditis in the chronic, which is accompanied by:
- headache;
- sensation of an unpleasant smell due to the opening of the aperture of the sphenoid sinus;
- the development of the edema of the sphenoid sinus, which then spreads to the orbit, the cranial cavity and other sinuses.
Treatment of sphenoiditis
The fight against the disease is aimed at eliminating edema. For this purpose, adrenaline-soaked gauze bandage is introduced into the nasal passages. The procedure lasts 15 minutes and should be followed several times a day. Antibiotics for sinus lavage are also used. Prolonged suppuration with sphenoiditis causes the need for an operation involving the opening of the sphenoid sinus and the removal of the posterior part of the septum or cells of the latticed maze, as well as the nasal concha. Treatment of acute disease gives a positive result. At a chronic stage, even an operation can not always improve the condition.