EVALUATION OF THE OLFACTORY FOSSA WITH COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY FOR ENDOSCOPIC SURGERY

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this case-control study is to assess the olfactory fossa (OF) anatomy in computed tomography (CT) images of patients with clinical and radiological diagnoses of sinusitis as well as those of patients of a control group. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 100 patients without sinusitis and 100 patients with a clinical and radiological diagnosis of chronic sinusitis who were referred for CT scans were included. The OF types were recorded according to the Keros classification. Medial ethmoid roof point (MERP) height, cribriform plate (CP) height and width, OF depth and width, and angle of lateral lamella-cribriform plate (ALLCP) were also measured. RESULTS: The mean depth of OF was 5.9 mm and 6.1 mm on the right and left sides, respectively. The most common type was type 2 on the right (51%) and left (45.5%) sides. The mean height of the MERP was 27.9 mm in both the right and left sides. The mean height of CP was 22.0 mm and 21.8 mm on the right and left sides, respectively. The mean width of the OF was 4.1 mm and 3.4 mm on the right and left sides, respectively. The mean width of CP was 2.8 mm and 2.4 mm on the right and left sides, respectively.The mean right and left ALLCP were 77.6° and 79.1°, respectively. No significant difference was found between the parameters in the case and control groups. CONCLUSIONS: According to the results, the presence of sinusitis has no effect on the anatomy of the OF. However, preoperative evaluation of the OF anatomy is very important in minimizing complications that may occur during functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS).