Radiological study of variations in intersphenoidal septum in a south Indian population- a retrospective cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction and Aim: The anatomical variations in intersphenoidal septum (ISS) will affect the ease of surgery and risk of intraoperative injury to neurovascular structures. It is very important to assess the same in different populations using preoperative imaging. Hence the objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of anatomical variations of intersphenoidal septum and its pattern of attachment among Southern Indian population for better planning of surgery and avoid complications.
 
 Materials and Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional analysis of patients who underwent computed tomography paranasal sinus at a tertiary care hospital was done. Data from 186 cases in total were used in this study. The proportion of cases with intersphenoidal septa was the primary outcome evaluated, and the number, location, development, and point of termination of intersphenoidal septa were the secondary outcomes. Statistical software for social studies was used to analyse the data.
 
 Results: Absence of intersphenoidal septum was noted in 0.5% of cases with predominant sellar type of pneumatization. Also, single intersphenoidal septum (81.6%), right sided deviation of septum (48.1%), complete formation of intersphenoidal septum (92.4%) and protrusion of septum towards optic nerve canal (45.9%) were the common findings noted in this study.
 
 Conclusion: Anatomical variations of the intersphenoidal septum clearly signify that the surgeons should keenly note the variations before planning the surgery.