Computed Tomographic Comparison of Length, Width and Angulation of Ethmoidal Infundibulum in Patients With and Without Maxillary Sinusitis

Comparative study of anatomical features of primary and accessory maxillary ostia between patients with obstructive sleep apnea and healthy controls

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to examine how the size and shape of the maxillary sinus and its ostia (the primary maxillary ostium and accessory maxillary ostium) relate to each other in patients with OSA using computed tomography (CT) scans. Additionally, the study aimed to explore whether or not obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) had an effect on these structures.

METHODS

CT images of patients diagnosed with OSAS and healthy participants were evaluated to compare the patency, location, dimension, and presence of PMOs and AMOs using the Mann-Whitney U, Student t, and chi-square tests. Also, intragroup correlations were analyzed by Spearman's correlation test.

RESULTS

Among 139 patients with OSA and healthy controls, there were significant variations in the average length (p = 0.001) and width (p = 0.008) of PMOs among the study groups. The mean maxillary sinus volume was significantly decreased in the OSA group (p = 0.001). A significant decrease in the maxillary sinus volume was observed in the OSA group (p = 0.001). In the OSA group, a significant correlation was observed between PMO obstruction and the presence of AMO (p = 0.004). The healthy group had significant correlations (r = 0.755, p = 0.000) between the vertical height and the distance between PMO and the maxillary sinus floor. Correlation analyses revealed positive, strong correlations between study variables such as the mean length and width of AMO and the vertical height of the maxillary sinus (r = 0.566, p = 0.000) in the OSA group.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study indicated significant differences in sinus volume, PMO occlusion, and AMO-related dimensions between patients with OSA and healthy controls.

Evaluation of Anatomical Variations of the Maxillary Sinus in Patients With and Without Mucous Retention Cyst

Objectives: Mucous retention cyst (MRC) is a benign and self-limited lesion that can be caused by many risk factors, including anatomical variations of the sinonasal region. This study aims to investigate the relationship between anatomical variations and the presence of MRC. Materials and Methods: In total, 2109 sinonasal cone beam computed tomography images were evaluated for the presence of MRC, and the sinonasal anatomical regions such as the osteomeatal complex (OMC), infundibulum length, ostium height, the diameter of the ostium, the presence of accessory ostium, concha bullosa, and mucosal thickening of the maxillary sinuses. Shapiro-Wilk normality test, independent sample t-test, and chi-square test were used for statistical analysis, and P < .05 was considered significant. Results: The prevalence of MRC was 119 (5.6%) cases. The average diameter of the ostium in cases with and without MRC was 0.49 ± 0.41 mm and 0.99 ± 0.76 mm, respectively, which showed a significant inverse relationship(P < .001). A significant relationship was found between the septum deviation, the ostium height, the concha bullosa, and the accessory ostium with the presence of MRC (P < .001). Conclusions: Sinonasal anatomical variations such as ostium diameter, ostium height, septal deviation, the presence of accessory ostium, and concha bullosa can cause MRC development, and considering that surgery may be necessary in some cases; this could be of great importance to clinicians and surgeons for treatment and prevention of development or recurrence of these pseudocysts in patients.