耳鼻喉科文献中关于蝶窦感染的报告很少,本病易被误诊而延误治疗。本文报告1968～1980年麻省眼耳医院及总医院确诊为蝶窦炎的30例患者(急性和慢性各半;年龄9～84岁,其中30岁以下者11例;男13例,女17例)。总结其临床表现、有关细菌学和放射学诊断标准及感染并发症等。蝶窦炎最常见的症状是头痛,急性患者发生在住院前3天至一个月,症状持续一个月以上者为慢性。许多慢性患者都有数年间断性头痛。头痛部位多不只一处,常为可放射至枕部的前额、颞部或眶后疼痛或/及三叉神经整个分布区域的疼痛。头痛影响睡眠,阿司匹林治疗无效。因蝶窦壁往往极薄,有时缺损,感染常累及与之紧邻的皮质静脉系统、脑神经及脑膜等组织,发生与 Otorhinolaryngology literature on the sphenoid sinus infection rarely reported, the disease is easily misdiagnosed and delayed treatment. This article reports 19 patients diagnosed as sphenoid sinusitis at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Hospital and General Hospital from 1968 to 1980 (acute and chronic halves; age 9 to 84 years, of whom 11 under 30 years of age; 13 males and 17 females example). To summarize its clinical manifestations, diagnostic criteria related to bacteriology and radiology and infection complications. The most common symptom of sphenoid sinusitis is headache. Acute patients occur 3 days to one month before hospitalization, and chronic symptoms persist for more than a month. Many chronic patients have intermittent headaches for years. There are more than one headache site, often to the occipital radiation, often forehead, temporal or retro-orbital pain and / or trigeminal nerve throughout the distribution of pain. Headache affects sleep, aspirin treatment is invalid. Due to the sphenoid sinus wall is often extremely thin, and sometimes defects, often associated with the infection and the cortical venous system, brain and brain and other brain tissue, and