Nasal obstruction in the adult: is CT scan of the sinuses necessary?
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether CT (computerized tomography) scan of the paranasal sinuses is essential in the diagnosis and medical/surgical management of nasal obstruction.


METHODS
One hundred thirteen adult patients with nasal obstruction but without signs of sinusitis who underwent CT examination prior to surgery, were included in the study.


RESULTS
Fifty seven percent of the CT scans revealed a variety of abnormal findings. Of the patients with an abnormal CT scan, surgical planning had to be altered in 16 patients due to significant abnormalities found on the CT scans.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that CT scan of the nose and paranasal sinuses is an effective presurgical planning tool in patients with nasal obstruction.
Berenholz
L
L
Department of Otolaryngology, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
Kessler
A
A
Lapinsky
J
J
Segal
S
S
Shlamkovitch
N
N
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015508:Nasal Obstruction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D010256:Paranasal Sinuses / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*