[Current imaging of nasal sinuses]

Depending on the problems, CT or MRI should be used in the differential diagnosis of conditions affecting the nasal sinuses. In particular, when chronic sinusitis is present, computed tomography should be performed before surgery to ascertain the condition of the bones. In most cases spiral CT with a decidedly lowered tube voltage and power (MAS product) is now used for this purpose. This means that the patient is exposed to about 70% less radiation than in other CT investigations. To avoid artefacts attributable to dental fillings, whenever possible the spiral should be tilted in such a way that the dental artefacts are not within the mass imaged. When an isotropic voxel is selected secondary reformatting is possible with no loss of quality. Diagnostic MRI should include both T1- and T2-weighted sequences before and after the administration of contrast agent. For the differential diagnosis of a space-occupying tumour coronal cuts about 2 mm apart are advised, whether the spiral or the conventional technique is used. A T2-weighted and fat-suppressed sequence or a STIR (short tau inversion recovery) sequence can also be helpful in the recognition and visualization of lymph nodes. If orbital involvement seems possible it is advisable to use a T1-weighted and fat-suppressed sequence in the coronal plane in addition to check this.