One of the sentences I hear most frequently from my patients and social circle in my professional life is "I have sinusitis or I have sinusitis". What is this “sinusitis” that almost everyone suffers from or thinks they suffer from? What are sinuses and what do they do?
Anatomically, there are six sinus cavities in our head, in the front part of our face. These are located adjacent to our brain tissue adjacent to the meninges and the upper jaw bone, dividing the head into two separate parts. The most important anatomical structures that are adjacent to them are the brain, the optic nerve and the main jugular veins going to the head.
So, what do these sinus cavities adjacent to such important and vital tissues serve?
These are sinusitis. These are the points that need to be paid the most attention during surgeries due to their anatomical and vital neighborhoods.
The first and most important feature of the anatomical locations and structures of the sinuses is that they lighten our head, which is completely covered with soft tissue and is quite heavy. . We can compare this to a football. As we all know, the weight of an air-filled football is solely the weight of the materials surrounding the ball. If we fill the air space inside the ball with a substance, it will become heavy and far from suitable for play. It resembles a ball that cannonball on the muddy wet ground in the old Taksim stadium. As old football players tell us, no one wants to head that ball. Sinuses also make our head, which is at the top of our body, lighter, thanks to the air inside them. Thus, as a light structure, it ensures that they have a suitable structure without weighing down our spinal cord or restricting head movements.
Another important feature is that since the inside is lined with respiratory epithelium, the passing air comes into contact with many more surfaces with each breath we take. It ensures that it reaches our lungs warmed, moistened and cleansed. Together with the sinuses, the nasal concha acts like an air conditioner, heating and humidifying the passing air. Thus, the cleaned air gets rid of harmful particles and microbes and goes to the lungs.
Our nasal compartment, which separates our sinuses and nasal concha, which is the entrance to our respiratory tract, allows us to breathe healthily. It allows us to give IP. Hollow air-filled sinuses not only lighten our head, but also improve the quality of our breath. Diseases occurring here directly affect our comfort of life. Let's take care of the "soccer ball" on our head, because its quality of life directly affects our performance in the match.
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