Abstract

Introduction: Rhinosinusitis is the inflammation of the nasal mucosa of one or several paranasal sinuses. In a radiological practice, anatomical variations are common in tomographic studies. The importance of these variants resides in their predisposition to mechanical obstruction, which can cause sinus disease. Few studies have quantitatively defined the influence of each variable and its relation to rhinosinusal disease. Objective: Determine the frequency of the anatomical variations of the paranasal sinuses in patients diagnosed with chronic rhinosinusitis, in RGH No.1 of Tijuana, Baja California.

Methods: A descriptive, analytical and retrospective study was carried out in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis in the RGH No. 1 of IMSS, in Tijuana during July to September 2018. It received prior authorization by the local research committee. The studied variables were: age, gender, presence of septum deviation, sinus involved and anatomical variation. A descriptive statistics analysis was carried out, with measures of central tendency and dispersion for quantitative variables, and frequencies for qualitative ones. Pearson’s ChiSquared test and Cohen’s Kappa Index were also used with the SPSS statistical program.

Results: The most frequent anatomical variants in the paranasal sinuses of patients diagnosed with chronic rhinosinusitis were the deviation of the nasal septum, presence of bullous shells and pneumatization of the sphenoid sinus. After applying Cohen’s Kappa, these results were found to be consistent with the results of two independent observers. Meanwhile, the Chi-Square test identified that anatomical variants are not related to age and sex.

Conclusion: The majority of patients presented only one anatomical variation. Patients aged 18 to 24 years old were the most affected and deviation of the nasal septum was the most frequent variation. Suggestions for future studies include researching the relationship between age or degree of clinical involvement and the anatomical variations.

Keywords

anatomical variations, paranasal sinuses, sinusitis, tomography, multislice computed tomography