Digital volume tomography (DVT) measurements of the olfactory cleft and olfactory fossa

• Published in: Acta oto-laryngologica Vol. 130; no. 3; pp. 398 - 404
• Main Authors: Savvateeva, Daria M., Güldner, Christian, Murthum, Tobias, Bien, Siegfried, Teymoortash, Afshin, Werner, Jochen A., Bremke, Martin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Stockholm Informa UK Ltd 01-03-2010; Taylor & Francis; Informa
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; cone beam tomography; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography - methods; Cranial Fossa, Anterior - diagnostic imaging; cribriform plate; Ethmoid Bone - diagnostic imaging; Ethmoid Sinus - diagnostic imaging; Female; Humans; Keros classification; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Nasal Cavity - diagnostic imaging; Olfactory Bulb - diagnostic imaging; Olfactory Mucosa - diagnostic imaging; Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology; Paranasal Sinus Diseases - diagnostic imaging; Reference Values; Rotational tomography; uncinate process; Young Adult; Measurement; cribriform plate; Radiodiagnosis; Stomatology; Congenital cleft; ENT; Congenital disease; Plate; Cone beam; Rotational tomography; Keros classification; Malformation; Volume; Classification; Tomography; uncinate process; cone beam tomography
• ISSN: 0001-6489; 1651-2251
• DOI: 10.3109/00016480903283741

Conclusion: Preoperative imaging is important, because of the small size of the cribriform plate, different anatomical variants of the olfactory fossa in varied patients and unequal width of the cribriform plate in the anterior and posterior third. Objective: Digital volume tomography (DVT) is a rather new imaging technique for the diagnosis of diseases of paranasal sinuses. This technology is dedicated to the evaluation of the distinctive structures of the anterior skull base due to the high resolution of the DVT. Based on the Keros classification this anatomic area was analyzed radiologically and also in relation to the uncinate process. Methods: The investigation was performed on 111 patients. The Accu-I-tomo F17 was used. Patients with total nasal polyposis and patients who had undergone sinus surgery were excluded from the study. Results: Keros type I was found in 11.25% of the patients, type II in 68.05% and type III in 20.7%. Significant asymmetry of the olfactory fossa was identified in nine patients (8.1%). The width of the olfactory cleft varied from 0 to 3.25 mm. No relation between Keros type and a particular onset of the uncinate process to orbit, skull base or middle turbinate could be detected.