Korean J Otolaryngol-Head Neck Surg.  1997 Feb;40(2):169-174.

Computed Tomographic Findings of Frontal Sinusitis

• Shin SH
• Lee HS
• Park JY

Abstract

Functional endoscopic sinus surgery(FESS) is now the surgical procedure of choice for treating chronic and recurrent sinusitis in patients of all ages. But successful eradication of disease from an obstructed frontal sinus ostium and frontal recess area is one of the most difficult procedures of FESS. It is known that the frontal sinus drainage is influenced by frontal cells, agger nasi cell, uncinate process attachment, concha cell, supraorbital cell and enlarged ethmoid bulla. We analyzed the coronal computed tomography of 118 frontal sinusitis cases and two control groups to compare which anatomic or mucosal factors can influence the developmemt of frontal sinusitis. In chronic sinusitis with frontal sinusitis group, frontal cell was observed in 11 cases(9.4%), agger nasi cell in 108 cases(91.5%), concha bullosa in 26 case(22.0%), supraorbital cell in 53 cases(44.9%), uncinate attachment to lamina papyracea in 76 cases(64.4%) and ethmoid bulla occupy 80.6% in the ostiomeatal area. In two control groups(chronic sinusitis without frontal sinusitis group and normal group) frontal cell was observed in 7 cases(10.5%) and 4 cases(6.0%), agger nasi cell in 54 cases(80.6%) and 43(65.2%), concha bullosa in 16 cases(23.9%) and 15 cases(22.8%), supra-orbital cell in 29 cases(43.3%) and 29 cases(43.9%), uncinate attachment to lamina papyracea in 55 cases(82.1%) and 53 cases(80.3%) and ethmoid bulla occupy 74.6% and 75.6% in ostiomeatal area. Our study concluded that the agger nasi cell, enlarged ethmoid bulla and attachment site of uncinate process can influence the development of frontal sinusitis(p<0.05).

Keyword

Frontal sinusitis; Computed tomography

MeSH Terms

Drainage
Frontal Sinus*
Frontal Sinusitis*
Humans
Sinusitis