Prevalence of incidental findings in paranasal sinus in brain and orbital CT scans in pediatric patients

Abstract

In emergency services a significant amount of pediatric patients undergo a brain or orbit CT scans for suspicion other than sinusitis. Assuming this premise, this study was held to show the incidental findings of the paranasal sinuses of children with nonspecific symptoms such as fever, headache and vomiting that underwent brain or orbits CT scans, without the initial suspicion of sinusitis. In a retrospective study, we evaluated 70 CT scans of the brain and orbits of children between 0 and 12 years. The incidental findings of the paranasal sinuses occurred in 32 cases (45.7%). Mucosal thickening was the most common incidental finding, being observed in 35% of patients, followed by complete opacification observed in 28% of cases and incomplete opacification observed in 28% of patients. Bilateral involvement occurred in 78% patients. The sinuses most frequently affected were the maxillary sinus followed by ethmoid sinuses. The abnormalities were more severe in children under the age of three years. The prevalence of incidental tomographic abnormalities in patients without an initial diagnosis of sinusitis is high. The predominance of these findings are mild abnormalities.