CORONAL CT SCAN ABNORMALITIES IN CHILDREN WITH CHRONIC SINUSITIS

Coronal computed tomography (CT) scans are currently the optimal study to display the normal and abnormal anatomy in children with chronic a nd recurrent acute sinusitis after failure of medical therapy. To asse ss the extent and distribution of disease as well as associated anatom ic abnormalities in this pediatric population, 74 coronal CT scans of children with continued symptoms of sinusitis after failure of extensi ve medical therapy were reviewed retrospectively. Twelve children with cystic fibrosis showed the characteristic features of medial displace ment of the lateral nasal wall in the middle meatus and uncinate proce ss demineralization, creating the appearance of a maxillary sinus muco cele. Nine of these 12 children had increased attenuation in the maxil lary sinus on soft-tissue windows. In the remaining 62 children, a sig nificantly greater frequency of disease, when compared with that repor ted for adults, was seen in the maxillary, anterior ethmoid, posterior ethmoid, and frontal sinuses. Children with asthma (n = 33) had more extensive disease. Bony anatomic abnormalities were similar to those r eported for adults, except for a lower incidence of septal deformity.