Nasal and Paranasal Sinuses Anatomical Variations in Patients with and without Chronic Rhinosinusitis

The development of computed tomography (CT) technique results in development in visualization of the anatomic structures of the lateral nasal wall. It allows the anatomic variations of this region to be identified precisely, which is important in surgical treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of anatomic variations of the lateral nasal wall in a group of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis and to compare these results with the control group. One hundred patients with chronic rhinosinusitis and 50 control subjects who were referred to Loghman Hakim general hospital, Tehran, Iran, were included in this retrospective study. High septal deviation, presence of large bulla ethmoidalis and middle turbinate concha bullosa showed to be statistically correlated to increased risk of chronic rhinosinusitis. For other anatomical variations, no statistically significant differences in incidence of chronic rhinosinusitis observed. Relation between anatomical variation and rhinosinusitis was confirmed only for high septal deviation, middle turbinate concha bollusa and large bulla ethmoidalis. Surgical Approach to these variations may have a role in prevention or treatment of rhinosinusitis.