[Computed tomography of the anterior ethmoid sinuses and its adjacent structures for endoscopic sinus surgery]

Forty adult cadavers were examined by computed tomography (CT) imaging with special attention to the pneumatization of the anterior ethmoid sinus for endoscopic sinus surgery. The study of the specimen was done using coronal section and axial section, sagittal reconstructed images were obtained from the data acquired in the axial plane. The cells of anterior ethmoid sinus were classified into four sub-groups, namely, the pre-infundibular cell (appearance rate 87.5%), the lateral infundibular cell (82.7%), the post-infundibular cell (86.3%) and the bulla cell (100.0%), and the anterior ethmoid sinus was classified into two types, namely, intraethmoid type (71.2%) and extraethmoid type (28.8%). The results shows that CT can display the sub-group and the type of the anterior ethmoid sinus and its adjacent structures clearly. The significance of endoscopic sinus surgery was discussed.