Cross-Sectional Radiological and Reconstructive Anatomy of the Paranasal Sinuses in Normal Mesaticephalic Dogs

Although extensive research has been conducted on paranasal sinuses across various human populations and animal species, studies focusing on dogs remain relatively scarce.

This study aimed to characterise the anatomical and morphometric structure of canine paranasal sinuses utilising computed tomography (CT) cross-sectional imaging and three-dimensional (3D) reformatted models.

In this study, CT images of 14 clinically normal dogs (7 females, 7 males) with a mean age of 6.2 ± 4.3 years were analysed. The localisation and boundaries of the paranasal sinuses, as well as the orientation and morphology of sinonasal openings, were identified through cross-sectional imaging, whereas morphometric characteristics were evaluated using 3D models.

Despite variations in shape among all examined animals, the paranasal sinuses bilaterally consisted of maxillary recess (MR) and frontal sinus (FS) (rostral, medial and lateral). In one 4-year-old male, the rostral FS was absent. The MR exhibited a volume of 4 cm³ and a surface area of 26 cm². The lateral FS was the largest, accounting for 90% of total sinus volume and 78% of total surface area in both sexes, whereas the medial FS was the smallest, with respective ratios of 3% and 8%. The MR was identified as the most symmetrically positioned sinus, whereas the medial FS displayed the highest degree of asymmetry. In females, the right lateral FS had a significantly larger surface area than the left. No correlation was found between age and sinus morphometry.

Although this study was conducted on animals of certain age and sex, without considering breed-specific characteristics, the findings contribute to a more detailed understanding of the cross-sectional and reconstructive anatomy of the region. Moreover, these preliminary reference data may aid radiologists and clinicians in diagnosing sinonasal diseases.