Virtual reconstruction of paranasal sinuses from CT data: A feasibility study for forensic application

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• 3D Modeling
• Computational Anatomy

Background:

• Paranasal sinus trauma presents challenges in anatomical assessment.
• Accurate reconstruction of facial bones is crucial for diagnosis and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of 3D computed modelization and reconstruction of paranasal sinuses.
• To compare sinus anatomy before and after trauma using CT data.

Main Methods:

• Utilized 3DSlicer® and Blender® software for 3D model creation from CT scans.
• Modeled and reconstructed paranasal sinuses for two patients with varying fractures.
• Compared pre- and post-traumatic sinus dimensions using 3D volumes.

Main Results:

• Successfully repositioned bone fragments to pre-traumatic configurations for both patients.
• Distance measurements showed similarity between pre- and post-traumatic 3D sinus volumes.
• Demonstrated feasibility of manual reconstruction for simple trauma cases.

Conclusions:

• Manual reconstruction of facial anatomy after simple paranasal sinus trauma is feasible.
• Automation via machine learning could enhance the reconstruction process.
• Further validation is needed for severely fractured sinuses, particularly for forensic applications.