The effect of anatomical variations of the sinonasal region on maxillary sinus volume and dimensions: a three-dimensional study

Abstract Introduction Anatomical variations in the sinonasal region are remarkably common and these variations may have an impact on maxillary sinus development due to their close anatomical adjacency. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of anatomical variations of the sinonasal region on the width, height, length, and volume of the maxillary sinus. Methods Cone beam computed tomography records of 120 patients were evaluated. Nasal septum deviation angle was measured for each patient and patients were divided into three groups as mild, moderate, and severe. Sinonasal variations such as nasal septum deviation direction, septal spur, concha bullosa, uncinate process pneumatization, middle concha hypertrophy, inferior concha hypertrophy, paradoxical middle concha and presence of septa in the maxillary sinus were registered. Cone beam computed tomography images were transferred to the SimPlant software thus right and left maxillary sinus volumes and dimensions were measured separately. Results There was a negative and statistically significant relationship between age and left maxillary sinus width (p= 0.015). The relationships between gender and maxillary sinus volumes and dimensions were statistically significant (p< 0.05). Although there were significant relationships between the nasal septum deviation severity, middle concha hypertrophy, inferior concha hypertrophy, paradoxical middle concha, and presence of septa and maxillary sinus dimensions; there was no significant relationship between septal spur, nasal septum deviation direction, concha bullosa, uncinate process pneumatization, and maxillary sinus dimensions. No statistically significant relationship could be determined between maxillary sinus volume and anatomical variations of the sinonasal region. Conclusion According to our findings, while certain the variations were found to affect the sinus dimensions; none of the variations was found to be related to the maxillary sinus volume.

【摘要】鼻鼻窦区域（sinonasal region）的解剖变异极为常见，由于二者解剖位置毗邻紧密，此类变异可能对上颌窦（maxillary sinus）的发育产生影响。
研究目的：本研究旨在探讨鼻鼻窦区域的解剖变异对上颌窦宽度、高度、长度及容积的影响。
研究方法：回顾性评估120例患者的锥形束计算机断层扫描（Cone beam computed tomography，CBCT）资料。为每位患者测量鼻中隔偏曲（nasal septum deviation）角度，并将患者分为轻度、中度、重度三组。记录的鼻鼻窦变异包括鼻中隔偏曲方向、鼻中隔棘突（septal spur）、泡状鼻甲（concha bullosa）、钩突气化（uncinate process pneumatization）、中鼻甲肥大（middle concha hypertrophy）、下鼻甲肥大（inferior concha hypertrophy）、反向中鼻甲（paradoxical middle concha）以及上颌窦内分隔。将锥形束计算机断层扫描图像导入SimPlant软件，分别测量双侧上颌窦的容积及各径线。
研究结果：年龄与左侧上颌窦宽度呈负相关且具有统计学意义（p=0.015）。性别与上颌窦容积及各径线的相关性具有统计学意义（p<0.05）。尽管鼻中隔偏曲程度、中鼻甲肥大、下鼻甲肥大、反向中鼻甲及上颌窦内分隔与上颌窦各径线存在显著相关性，但鼻中隔棘突、鼻中隔偏曲方向、泡状鼻甲、钩突气化与上颌窦各径线无显著相关性。未发现上颌窦容积与鼻鼻窦区域解剖变异存在统计学意义的关联。
研究结论：基于本研究结果，虽部分解剖变异可影响上颌窦的径线大小，但未发现任何一类变异与上颌窦容积存在关联。