Anat Cell Biol.  2022 Jun;55(2):142-147. 10.5115/acb.22.037.

Three-dimensional linear and volumetric computed tomography analysis of the frontal sinus

• Park JA
• Lee YJ
• Yeo IS
• Koh KS
• Song WC

• KMID: 2531200
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5115/acb.22.037

Abstract

The frontal sinus is one of the four paranasal sinuses in humans, and knowledge of its anatomy is important when performing surgery involving the frontal bone or sinus. Although many studies have measured the frontal sinus using radiography and computed tomography (CT), few studies have evaluated by using three-dimensional (3D) analysis. The purpose of this study was to analyze the frontal sinus using 3D reconstruction analysis and determine the differences in linear and volumetric measurements between sexes, sides, and ages. The sample comprised 281 facial CT scans: 173 and 108 from males and females, respectively. The width, height, and length of each frontal sinus and total volume were all larger in males than in females. Almost all linear and volumetric measurements were larger in young adults than in older for both sexes, but not all of the differences were statistically significant. Linear and volumetric measurements were larger for males than females regardless of age group. There were no statistically significant differences between the right and left sides except the width in males. The size of the frontal sinus was strongly influenced by sex and age. The measurements reported here might be useful for improving surgical procedures involving the frontal sinus.

Keyword

Frontal sinus; Paranasal sinuses; Facial computed tomography; Three-dimensional reconstruction; Volume

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Computed tomography images and three-dimensionally reconstructed frontal sinuses. (A) Axial view of the frontal sinus, (B) sagittal view of the frontal sinus, (C) coronal view of the frontal sinus, (D) three-dimensional volume of the frontal sinus.

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  Fig. 2 Height, width, and length of the frontal sinus measured. (A) Left and right heights were respectively measured as the vertical distance between the lowest point and the highest point at the anterior view. (B) Left and right widths were respectively measured as the longest horizontal distance from the mid-sagittal plane. (C) Left and right lengths were respectively measured as the sagittal distance at the superior view.

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