[The predictive value of so-called secondary reconstruction in fractures of the frontal skull base]

While MRI offers excellent possibilities to visualize different planes of a structure of interest, CT is limited to the axial and coronal plane. In most cases, CT examination can be carried out in the traumatised patient in the axial plane only. Therefore, in the present study the authors tried to investigate the value of multiplanar reconstruction of CT scans in anterior skull base traumatology, 18 patients (6 female, 12 male) aged between 18 and 57 years with bony lesions of the anterior skull base caused by different traumatic events were examined under a CT scanner of the fourth generation. A high-resolution mode was used in 14 out of 18 patients. The axial scans were reformated in coronal and sagittal planes. The clinical value of the reconstructed images, however, was poor. They would not supply additional information compared to the original scans; the quality of the reconstructed scans was even worse. Artifacts could not be distinguished from bony lesions. The results indicate that multiplanar reconstructions of CT scans are not sufficient in the evaluation of bony lesions of the anterior skull base.