Abstract
Asymmetry of nasopharyngeal structure in CT scans, such as blunting of the lateral pharyngeal recesses (LPR, fossa of Rosenmuller) and depression of the parapharyngeal space, is regarded as an essential sign in the diagnosis of malignancies or aggressive inflammatory processes. The rate of nasopharyngeal symmetry, however, has been rarely reported so far. I examined axial CT scans of the nasopharynx of 220 patients who did not have any complaints of the nasopharynx or oropharynx. LPR, tube orifices, torus tubarius, intrapharyngeal muscles, paranasopharyngeal spaces, and deeper musculofacial planes wre examined. The asymmetry rates were 17.8%, 15.8%, 16.8%, 3.7%, 5.5%, and 8.0% respectively. The former three superficial landmarks were more often asymmetric than the latter three plane tissues. There were no differences in symmetry between patients with histories of sinus surgery or facial fracture and others. The loss of symmetry of the nasopharyngeal structures, not only the deeper ones, but the superficial ones, seems to be a useful sign in differentiating the recalcitrant pathologies.
