Pneumatisation patterns of the frontal sinus in adult Nigerians

Abstract

Introduction: The varying pneumatisation patterns of the frontal sinus (FS) can be utilised in the forensic identification of human remains. This study aimed at determining the pneumatisation patterns of the FS of adult Nigerians. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional retrospective study was carried out at the radiology department of a tertiary hospital in Nigeria following ethical approval. Brain computed tomography images of 336 patients (199 males and 137 females) aged ≥20 years were utilised. Images with facial and sinonasal pathologies were excluded from this study. The FS was evaluated and classified as either absent, bilateral or triple. The existence of complete or partial septa was noted, and the roof was categorised as either smooth or scalloped. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 23. The frequencies of each variant were presented in percentages. A Chi-square test was used to evaluate gender differences. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Bilateral FS was seen in 244 (72.6%) patients. This was followed by triple FS (48, 14.3%) and aplasia (44, 13.1%). The prevalence of partial septa was 197 (58.6%), with a significantly higher prevalence in males (149, 74.9%) than in females (48, 35.0%) (P = 0.017). The scalloped roof of the FS was more frequent (226, 67.3%) than the smooth FS roof (110, 32.7%), although both showed statistically significant gender differences (P = 0.021, 0.028). Conclusion: The scalloped roof and partial septa of the FS showed sexual dimorphism. Hence, their accuracy in sex prediction may be explored in our population.

Keywords

• aplasia
• frontal sinus
• pneumatisation
• septum