A study of morphometric evaluation of the maxillary sinuses in normal subjects using computer tomography images

Abstract

Objectives: The paranasal sinuses are complex anatomical structures with a significant inter-individual variation. The dimensions of maxillary sinuses are particularly significant when considering endoscopic sinus surgery . The aims of this study were to estimate different dimensions of the maxillary sinuses measured on head CT, and their relations to sex of the individuals. Materials and Methods: Cranial computerized tomographic images (CT) of 200 normal subjects between the age groups of 18 and 80 years were observed in this study. The height, width, and depth of the maxillary sinuses were measured with a Philips Brilliance 64 CT. The statistical analysis for sex and age comparison for all the parameters was done. Results: The mean width, height, and depth of maxillary sinus in male on both right and left side were 27.8, 28.2, 39.9, 39.6, and 40.0, 39.7 mm but in females were 26.6, 26.7, 36.8, 37.1, and 36.6, 37.4 mm. The discriminative analysis showed that the accuracy of maxillary sinus measurements i.e. the ability of the maxillary sinus size to identify gender was 55% in females and 69.5% in males. Conclusion: This study on CT dimensions of maxillary sinuses may be beneficial for the ENT surgeons when planning for endoscopic sinus surgery and to support gender determination.

Keywords

• CT scan
• maxillary sinus
• measurements