抄録
Purpose : The nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses are essential for air conditioning, olfaction, voice resonance, and tear drainage. Among these, the maxillary sinus is the largest and undergoes remarkable developmental changes from infancy to adolescence. Computed tomography (CT) plays a crucial role in evaluating sinusitis ; however, the age-related patterns of pediatric maxillary sinusitis remain poorly understood. This study aimed to classify and analyze the age-related patterns of maxillary sinus morphology and mucosal thickening in children using CT.
Materials and methods : CT images of 97 Japanese patients aged 4-12 years with suspected odontogenic sinusitis were evaluated. The participants were categorized into three age groups : 4-5, 6-9, and 10-12 years. Maxillary sinus morphology was classified as square, circular, or triangule. Mucosal thickening and obstruction of the maxillary sinus ostium were also assessed.
Results : The square-type was the most common maxillary sinus morphology across all age groups, with no significant age-related differences. Maxillary sinus mucosal thickening is most frequent in younger children and decreases with age. The entire circumference and opacification types predominated in the younger groups, whereas retention cysts were more frequent in older patients. Weak negative correlations were observed between age and mucosal thickening in both sinuses, whereas moderate correlations were found among maxillary sinus thickening, ostial thickening, and ostial obstruction.
Conclusion : No significant correlation was found between maxillary sinus morphology and age ; however, younger children tended to exhibit maxillary mucosal thickening associated with ethmoid mucosal thickening.
