title: [Misdiagnosis in isolated sphenoid sinus diseases].
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, First Hospital of Peking University, Beijing 100034, China.
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010254:Paranasal Sinus Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013101:Sphenoid Sinus; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed