Sinuses of the nose

Sinuses of the nose are empty spaces located in the facial bones of the skull and communicating with the nasal cavity. They are formed in the fifth year of life. In the medical literature, the paranasal sinuses are often called "paranasal sinuses".

To the nasal sinuses are:

• Frontal sinus located in the frontal bone directly above the eyebrows;
• Upper-maxillary or maxillary sinuses located on the sides of the nose under the eye sockets;
• The sphenoid sinuses located behind the nasal passages in the depth of the skull.

In addition, the nasal sinuses are also referred to as a system of air-sized cells in the size of a pea, located in the treetops between the nasal cavities and orbits. The sinuses of the trellis are divided into the anterior, middle and posterior, depending on which part of the nasal passage they communicate with.

Normally, in a healthy person, the sinuses of the nose are filled with air that circulates freely through the nasal passages. But it often happens that the pores of the sinuses accumulate pus or mucus, or on the mucous membrane grows neoplasms. In such cases, a person begins to experience various unpleasant and painful sensations.

Specific sensations of damage to the paranasal sinuses do not exist. Most often, patients complain of a feeling of heaviness in the head, face swelling, eyelids, nasal congestion, headaches and pain in the face area. Inflammation of the paranasal sinuses is called sinusitis and is, as a rule, a complication of catarrhal or viral diseases. Sinuses of the nose can become inflamed - the process is simple and purulent. With a simple mucous membrane inside the sinus becomes inflamed and swells. This is often found in ARVI, when a person's head and face aches due to an edema of all mucous membranes. After the removal of the inflammation, the swelling is gone, the sinus condition returns to normal, and the pain stops. But it happens that during the cold in the sinuses, mucous and purulent secretions accumulate, which then themselves block the exit from the sinus and then the sinus is filled with pus. Purulent sinusitis is characterized by intense, sometimes throbbing or paroxysmal pain in and around the sinuses.

Benign neoplasms and proliferation of the sinus mucosa, for example, polyps, most often occur almost asymptomatically. Only nasal breathing difficulties can be observed if the sinuses of the nose are filled with strong growths. Pain for polyps, as a rule, is not typical.

Inflammatory processes most often affect the maxillary (gajmorovy) and frontal sinuses, which is due to their structure and location. The most frequently inflamed are the maxillary sinuses, and it is the maxillary sinusitis in most cases that causes pain in the upper jaw, in the cheekbone, under the eye. Pain can be given in the ear, in the eye, in the nose, and cause a common headache. Define the defeat of nasal sinuses can only ENT doctor. Cuneiform and latticular sinuses become inflamed much less often, usually against the backdrop of any major systemic diseases and reduced immunity.

Untreated or in time unrecognized nasal sinus infections can go into a chronic process that is difficult to treat and can itself serve as a source of other complications, inflammation of neighboring organs.

It is important to remember that pain in the nasal sinuses (referring to the frontal and maxillary sinuses) can occur with neuralgia of the trigeminal nerve, and in benign tumors of the cranial nerves. If the sinuses of the nose hurt, you need to be alert. Therefore, with headaches and pains in the face area, you should never do self-diagnosis and self-medication, but you need to see a doctor. An accurate diagnosis is easily determined by examination of a specialist and a simple examination (X-ray, ultrasound, computed tomography).