Visibility of vascular vessels on anterior wall of maxillary sinus in 3D reconstructed dental CBCT images

Abstract

ObjectiveThe suitability of different computed tomography (CT) image three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction techniques were investigated for the observation of vascular vessels that supply the maxillary sinus, such as the posterior superior alveolar artery (PSAA), the anterior superior alveolar artery (ASAA), and the infraorbital artery (IOA). Especially the PSAA and its branches have to be taken into consideration during a sinus floor elevation by lateral wall because of the potential risk of heavy bleeding during procedure. MethodsDental cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) image data including 398 hemi-maxillary sinuses were utilized in this study. Based on the diagnostic impressions from multi planner reconstruction (MPR) images, the diagnostic accuracy and the kappa coefficient of surface rendering (SR), volume rendering (VR), and maximum intensity projection (MIP) images were examined. ResultsThe overall diagnostic accuracy was 54.2 % in SR, 65.9 % in VR, and 97.9 % in MIP. Cohen's weighted kappa was 0.02 in SR, 0.08 in VR, and 0.59 in MIP images. Only MIP images showed good agreement with MPR findings compared to SR and VR images. ConclusionsMIP 3D images were useful for observation of the entire course of the vascular vessels that supply the maxillary sinus anterior wall.