Nasal fossa dimensions in normal and nasally obstructed neonates and infants: preliminary study

Computed tomography (CT) is a valuable imaging tool in the examination of neonates and infants with nasal obstruction. At present, however, it is difficult to quantitatively evaluate the nasal fossa with CT as normative data and the relative significance of individual nasal fossa dimensions have not been established. A standardized CT image was proposed, and performed on a prospective cohort of 56 infants up to 1 year of age. A parental questionnaire was used to identify infants with nasal obstruction. Normative data for four nasal fossa dimensions are presented and analyzed. The statistical validity of these dimensions in the diagnosis of nasal obstruction was examined; only the maximal posterior bony diameter showed a significant difference between normal and nasally obstructed infants (t-test, P = 0.05). Examples of CT findings in the above-mentioned cases as well as past cases of "choanal stenosis' are demonstrated.