The maxillary sinuses (area four) are located within the maxillary bone below your eyes and lateral to your nose and are the largest pair of paranasal sinuses.The sphenoidal sinuses (area three) are centrally located behind the nasal cavity and vary in size and shape.The ethmoid cells (area two) are located within the ethmoid bone between your eyes and nose and are formed by a variable number of connected individual cells.The frontal sinuses (area one) are located within the forehead above your nose and eyes and are surrounded by thick, bony walls.There are two sets of four sinus cavities, one set on the right and one on the left. They have several functions: They lighten the weight of your head, play a significant role in the resonance of your voice, serve as collapsible structures that protect vital organs during facial trauma, and may help the turbinates (small structures inside the nose) humidify and heat the air we breathe. The paranasal sinuses are gas-filled cavities in your facial bones and skull. Anatomy and Functions of the Paranasal Sinuses

Divers should never underestimate difficulties equalizing sinuses. Although sinus barotrauma is a prevalent and generally benign diving injury, some of its complications could pose a significant risk to the diver’s health. When the paranasal sinuses fail to equalize to barometric changes during vertical travel, damage to the sinus can cause sharp facial pain with postnasal drip or a nosebleed after surfacing. Jeppesen GmbH, Frankfurt 2001.Īcknowledgement Image courtesy Freedigitalphotos.Sinus barotraumas are among the most common diving injuries. Human Performance & Limitations – JAA ATPL Theoretical Knowledge Manual. Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia 2002.ģ. Ideally, Sinus Barotrauma can be prevented by adequate and timely treatment of nose infections, while avoiding flying until recovered fully.ġ. It is prudent to abort the mission, and aircraft must descend as slowly as possible to minimise pain and discomfort. The immediate treatment of Sinus Barotrauma, when it occurs in flight, is to ascend to the altitude where the pain was first felt. This may sometimes be referred to the teeth of upper jaw giving a false impression that the problem is in the teeth. Maxillary sinuses – The pain is localised over the cheek.

Frontal Sinus – The pain extends over the forehead above the bridge of the nose.As per the site, it may present in the following ways:. There may be accompanying headache, which may be severe and incapacitating. The main symptom of Sinus Barotrauma is pain over the affected sinus. Though, it occurs less commonly than Otitic Barotrauma it does not get relieved by voluntary efforts since sinuses cannot be ventilated actively by manoeuvres like Valsalva. It presents with pain in and around the affected sinus. Sinus Barotrauma, thus occurs due to pressure changes during flying in a sinus with blocked opening. Any deformity of the walls of the nose or any growth, e.g., polyp etc.Inflammation or infection in the nose as in cold, allergy, etc.Such an obstruction to the sinus openings can be due to the following reasons:. These sinuses drain into the nasal cavity through small openings, which allow easy ventilation of air during ascent and descent.Īny obstruction to the sinus openings will adversely affect the ventilation of sinuses and result in Sinus Barotrauma (a.k.a Barosinusitis).

Sinuses are small air filled spaces in the bones of the skull.

Treatment for sinus barotrauma