Frontal Section Perspective of the Maxillary Sinus (Skull)

Description

Presented in a frontal section through the midface, the male skull is opened to expose the maxillary sinus (antrum of Highmore) within the body of the maxilla, lateral to the nasal cavity and inferior to the orbital floor. Superiorly, the ethmoidal air cells occupy the medial orbital wall region, separated from the maxillary sinus by the thin lamina papyracea and adjacent bony partitions. The nasal septum and lateral nasal wall frame the nasal cavity medially, while the hard palate forms the inferior boundary of the sinonasal compartment; cranial sutures and the mandible provide orientation to the facial skeleton. Thin bone dominates. This cut is the one you want when teaching why the maxillary sinus is both clinically accessible and clinically vulnerable: its roof is the orbital floor, its medial wall relates to the middle meatus via the ostiomeatal complex, and its floor lies close to maxillary posterior teeth roots. Chronic maxillary rhinosinusitis often reflects impaired drainage at the semilunar hiatus, and odontogenic sinusitis follows periapical infection or extraction when the Schneiderian membrane is violated. The same anatomy explains the pathways of orbital complications and the planning margins for endoscopic sinus surgery. Use this illustration in head and neck anatomy blocks, dental anatomy and oral surgery teaching, and radiology correlation pages that pair a coronal CT sinus series with gross sectional anatomy of the paranasal sinuses. It also suits patient-facing education for functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) or management of odontogenic maxillary sinusitis where clear spatial relationships matter. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.