Title:Cone Beam CT Features and Oral Radiologist’s Decision-making of
Arrested Pneumatization of the Sphenoid Sinus
Volume: 19
Author(s): Noura Alsufyani*, Nouf Alsuayri and Raghad Alrasheed
Affiliation:
- Oral & Maxillofacial Radiology, Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences Department, College of Dentistry, King
Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- School of Dentistry, Department of Medicine and Dentistry, University
of Alberta, Canada
Keywords:
Sphenoid sinus, development, cone beam CT, skull base, diagnostic imaging, APS.
Abstract:
Objectives: To assess the demographic and radiographic features of arrested pneumatization
of the sphenoid sinus (APS) and their influence on the confidence of oral and maxillofacial radiologists
(OMFRs) in diagnosing APS.
Methods: Reports of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) APS were retrieved, and the demographic
and radiographic features were retrospectively analyzed. Five OMFRs assessed the CBCT
images and their confidence in diagnosing APS. The OMFRs’ experience (years), expertise (skull-base
CBCT cases/month) and diagnostic confidence level were analyzed for agreement and associations
with demographic or radiographic features.
Results: Of 29 APS cases, 17 (58.6%) were females, and the mean age was 29.9±19 years. Twenty
cases (69.0%) presented unilaterally, and 27 (93.1%) involved the sphenoid body. The most common
accessory site was the pterygoid process (19, 65.5%). The vidian canal and foramen rotundum were
involved in 27 (93.1%) and 17 (58.6%) cases, respectively. Most cases (28, 96.6%) were well-defined,
corticated, and showed mixed attenuation. APS diagnostic confidence was higher among the expert
OMFRs (72.4%-82.8% vs. 58.6%-62.1%).
Conclusion: Radiographic features differentiating APS from skull-base tumors were shown on CBCT.
The confidence of OMFRs with similar experience in years depended on their frequency of examining
CBCT cases involving the skull base.
