title: Morphometric study of the paranasal sinuses in normal and pathological conditions.
abstract: Prospective and retrospective morphometric CT (axial and coronal) research was performed with 100 healthy persons and 163 patients (145 males, 118 females, mean age 50 years, range 1-88 years). The patients were classified into the following groups: chronic sinusitis (n = 85), polyposis (n = 25), mucoceles (n = 13), benign tumors (n = 20) and malignant tumors (n = 20). After initial calibration with the scale (in cm) displayed on the CT image, each paranasal sinus was outlined following its bone inner surface. The data were processed with a high-resolution analysis system, and volumes were calculated using an integration areas rule. The ethmoid, maxillary and sphenoid sinuses exhibited an increase in volume for a period of up to 15 years, afterwards maintaining similar values. The frontal sinus grows in a monomodal pattern (peak at 30 years). The volumetric results (mean and standard deviation) in the normal adult group were as follows: maxillary sinus 13.07 cm3 (6.8), ethmoid 5.5 cm3 (2.0), sphenoid 3.5 cm3 (2.6) and frontal 3.7 cm3 (3.6). Primary frontal and maxillary sinus hypoplasia appeared in 3.9% and 1.3% of cases, respectively. The anatomic variations were as follows: concha bullosa 8.3%, Haller cells 3.2% and Onodi cells 8.3%. The sinusitis values (adults) were greater than those in the normal group: 14.4 cm3 (7.3), 6.8 cm3 (2.9), 2.9 cm3 (1.9) and 4.2 cm3 (5.2), with the exception of the sphenoid, but the difference was not statistically significant. Finally, we propose a new classification for paranasal sinus tumors (benign and malignant), volumetric T (vT), taking into account the morphometric tumoral volume and the mean volumetric value of normal sinuses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Basurto Hospital, School of Medicine, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Sánchez Fernández
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Anta Escuredo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sánchez Del Rey
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Santaolalla Montoya
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002508:Cephalometry; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009078:Mucocele / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010254:Paranasal Sinus Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D010255:Paranasal Sinus Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D010256:Paranasal Sinuses / Q000473:pathology*; D011127:Polyps / Q000473:pathology; D012016:Reference Values; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed