The role of diagnostic imaging in evaluation of nasal and paranasal sinus pathologies

Abstract

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> The objective of the study was <span lang="EN-IN">to evaluate the role of radiological imaging in correlation with clinical finding in assessing the severity of nasal and paranasal diseases and in differentiating benign pathologies from malignant sinonasal masses. </span></p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> <span lang="EN-IN">In this study 50 patients with complaints of nasal obstruction , nasal discharge, epistaxis were subjected to detailed clinical examination and evaluated radio logically with X ray PNS, CT and MRI of PNS and biopsy taken from nasal and paranasal masses for histopathological confirmation. </span></p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> <span lang="EN-IN">The main presenting complaints were nasal obstruction (82%) followed by nasal discharge (66%), headache and allergic symptoms (52%). The most common type of disease involving nose and paranasal sinuses was inflammatory disease (86%), followed by benign disease (10%) and malignant disease were found in (4%) of cases. The most common benign disease involving nose and paranasal sinuses were inverted papilloma (80%), followed by hemangioma of nasal septum (20%). The most common radiological pattern of sinus involvement is osteomeatal type seen in 38% of cases, followed by unclassified pattern in 23.8%.Maxillary sinuses were most commonly involved in the study 82% cases. </span></p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> <span lang="EN-IN">CT is the modality of choice in imaging the paranasal sinuses for evaluating the chronic diseases and associated complication and provides a reliable pre-operative road map. MR imaging plays a critical role in evaluation of sino nasal tumors.</span></p>