Could cone beam computerized tomography be used as an alternative to medical grade computerized tomography in screening the paranasal sinus and nasal septum abnormalities?

Abstract

Could cone beam computerized tomography be used as an alternative to medical-grade computerized tomography in screening the paranasal sinus and nasal septum abnormalities?F. Selvi∗, E. Aytugar, H. AvciIstanbul University, Istanbul, TurkeyBackground:Medical gradecomputerized tomography(CT) is a commonly used tool for screeningparanasal sinusesand nasal septi for screening and prediagnoses of abnormalities and diseases by surgical specialists in medicine.Cone Beam Computerized Tomography(CBCT), has become a popular screening tool in the dentistry. It has a significantly lower radiation dosage, and its reliability is superior to the CT since its geometric resolution is higher.Objectives:The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate if CBCT could be an alternative, in screening and diagnosing theparanasal sinusand thenasal septumabnormalities. An oral radiologist, an oral andmaxillofacial surgeonand an otorhinolaryngologist evaluated the subjects’ CBCT imaging for presence of paranasal sinus and nasal septum abnormalities and their diagnoses were compared. All physicians were in practice over 10 years.Methods:300 subjects’ CBCT images were evaluated. All physicians have used the same axial, coronal and sagittal sections of CBCTs (a total of 3 cuts per subject). All were blinded to the others’ evaluations.Findings:All CBCT views were chosen from the sections demonstrating the wholeparanasal sinusesand thenasal septumwith an 18×16 FOV area and 250micrometer voxel size. IBM SPPS (Version 22.0) is used for data analysis with apvalue<0.005 considered significant.Conclusion:Since physicians in medicine are inclined to use CT as a screening tool, the evaluations of physicians are compared for the similarities in their diagnoses to conclude if CBCT could be used as an alternative screening tool for diagnosingparanasal sinusesandnasal septumabnormalities.