Dissection # 12: Paranasal sinuses

You can draw the paranasal sinuses using these easy instructions. Doing the drawing yourself will help you remember the anatomy better by harnessing something called the generation effect. I have used the most simple shapes possible. Go ahead and grab some paper and a pen or pencil and get started.

First Step: Draw a nose and an orbit. If you don’t remember how, refer to dissection 9, orbit.

Second Step: Add the frontal sinus as a rectangle above the orbit.

Third Step: Add the maxillary sinus as a truncated triangle below the orbit.

Fourth Step: Add the ethmoid air cells as a rectangle medial to the orbit.

Fifth Step: Add the sphenoid sinus as a circle superomedial to the orbit. Indicate that the sphenoid sinus is behind the orbit by using a dotted line.

Done! Infectious sinusitis can occasionally spread to adjacent structures. From the drawing, it should be clear that maxillary, ethmoid and frontal sinusitis may spread to the orbit. Frontal and sphenoid sinusitis may even spread intracranially!