Prevalence of Septal Deviation Patterns and Paranasal sinuses Opacification patterns using Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT)

Nasal sputum deviation is the most common anatomical variation of the sinonasal region and can increase the possibility of sinusitis, headache, facial pain, nasal breathing and nasal obstruction. The present study examined the frequency of nasal sputum deviation (NSD) types and opacification of paranasal sinuses and their relationship with gender and age using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT).

Methods and Materials: 

The present descriptive study was conducted on 387 samples from CBCT scans of paranasal sinuses. Deviation of the nasal septum was evaluated based on the Mladina’s classification, and opacification of the paranasal sinuses were evaluated based on the Lund-Mackay scoring system. Cuts greater than 2 mm to increase the thickness of the mucosa were selected as an abnormal condition. After collecting the data, they were analyzed by SPSS software. The significance level was considered 0/05.

387 cases were examined, and NSD was observed in 61.8 percentages of samples. Type 1 of NSD was the most common, followed by type 5. In this study, 59.1 percentages of women and 66.9 percentages of men had NSD (p=0.15). Opacification of paranasal sinuses was found in 63.6 percentages of cases. When the left and right sinuses were considered separately, the maxillary and anterior ethmoid sinuses were most frequently affected. A significant relationship was found between the frequency of nasal septum deviation and opacification of paranasal sinuses and different age groups, and the highest rate was seen in people over 42 years old.

In this study, the frequency of NSD and opacification of paranasal sinuses showed no significant difference between genders. A relationship was found between the frequency of NSD, opacification of paranasal sinuses, and age groups. CBCT is the preferred imaging modality for evaluating NSD and paranasal sinuses.