RELATIONSHIP OF MASTOID PNEUMATIZATION AND AGE WITH COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY MEASURED SPHENOID SINUS VOLUME

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Anatomy
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Accurate measurement of sphenoid sinus volume is crucial for understanding sinonasal anatomy and pathology.
• Previous studies have explored factors influencing sphenoid sinus dimensions, but relationships with mastoid pneumatization require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To measure sphenoid sinus volume using multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) data post-processing.
• To investigate the correlation between sphenoid sinus volume and age, gender, and mastoid pneumatization.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of MSCT DICOM datasets from 66 healthy adult patients.
• Semi-automatic volumetric measurement of sphenoid sinuses using specialized software.
• Analysis of relationships between sphenoid volume, age, gender, and mastoid air cell volume.

Main Results:

• A significant positive correlation was found between total sphenoid sinus volume and both left (ρ=0.528, p<0.001) and right (ρ=0.450, p<0.001) mastoid pneumatization.
• Sphenoid volume showed a positive but statistically non-significant correlation with age (ρ=0.186, p=0.136).
• Males tended to have larger sphenoid volumes than females, with no significant gender difference in mastoid air cells.

Conclusions:

• Volumetric measurements of sphenoid sinuses can be accurately performed using MSCT data post-processing.
• Sphenoid sinus volume is positively correlated with mastoid pneumatization and shows a trend with age.
• Advanced imaging techniques like virtual endoscopy and 3D volume rendering aid in visualizing sphenoid sinus anatomy.