Objective: To improve the correct diagnosis for isolated sphenoid sinus diseases.
Methods: Twelve patients with isolated sphenoid disease from 1991 to 1998 were reviewed. The factors of misdiagnosis were discussed.
Results: In this group of 12 patients with isolated sphenoid diseases, 8 failed to be diagnosed at the first time of medical consultation. The misdiagnosis included optic neuritis, neuralgia, ophthalmitis, pulmonary tuberculosis, epistaxis and epilepsy.
Conclusions: The main causes of misdiagnosis were: low incidence of the disease, nonspecific clinical symptoms, and unawareness of the doctor. CT or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide much more informations about the diagnosis.