Nasopharyngeal cavity narrowing associated with posterior maxilla and pterygoid plate fracture: report of three cases.
The CT appearances of three cases with severe nasopharyngeal cavity narrowing are described. In all cases the facial trauma was due to a motor vehicle accident. These cases demonstrate that posterior maxilla and pterygoid plate fractures can cause significant nasopharyngeal soft tissues swelling, most likely due to haemorrhage and/or oedema. Severe nasopharyngeal cavity narrowing could cause difficulty in elective nasogastric tube and endotracheal tube intubation via the nasopharyngeal route.
Wittram
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Department of Radiodiagnosis, Aintree Hospitals Trust, Walton Hospital, Liverpool, UK. conradwittram@utoronto.ca
D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008440:Maxillary Fractures / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D009302:Nasopharyngeal Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology*; D009917:Orbital Fractures / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013100:Sphenoid Bone / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed