The Practical Role of Nasal Bone CT in the diagnosis of Nasal Bone Fractures

Kim, Jae Ho; Kim, Min Gwan; Park, Jeong Hyeog; Joo, Joon Bum; Kim, Yong Jae

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
The accurate diagnosis of nasal bone fracture by means of simple radiographs and physical examination is difficult in cases of severe soft tissue swelling or minimally displaced fracture. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the practical effectiveness of nasal bone CT for the diagnosis of nasal bone fracture.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The authors reviewed nasal bone CT and simple radiographs of 11 patients with nasal bone injury who were suspected to have nasal bone fracture after history taking and physical examinations. The nasal bone fracture was classified as one of three types on nasal bone CT : type I (simple fracture), type II (simple fracture with displacement) and type III (comminuted fracture). Associated facial bone injuries were also evaluated and simple radiographs of nasal bone were reviewed for comparison.
RESULTS
Nine out of eleven patients showed followingfracture lines on nasal bone CT: 3 cases of type I, 4 cases of type II, and 2 cases of type III. Seven out of eleven patients showed fracture lines on simple radiographs, but one patient out of those seven showed no fracture lines on CT. Four patients showed no fracture lines on simple radiographs, but three of them showed fracture lines on CT. Out of three cases of type I fracture, only two cases were detected on plain radiographs. Four patients showed complicated nasal septal fracture on CT, which could not be detected on simple radiographs. One other patient had fracture of the frontal process of maxilla. Conclusion: Nasal bone CT is a useful tool for diagnosis of nasal bone fracture since it provides accurate identification and evaluation of associated injuries such as nasal septal fracture.