Changes of maxillary sinus volume and bony thickness of the paranasal sinuses in longstanding pediatric chronic rhinosinusitis

Objectives: To evaluate the chronic bony changes in the paranasal sinuses of longstanding chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) in pediatric patients and to compare them with normal controls. Study design: A single-institution retrospective analysis. Method: Thirty 15- and 16-year-old children with longstanding CRS, for more than 2 years, despite maximal medical treatment and had a Lund CT score over 20 were enrolled as the CRS group. They were compared with 45 age and gender matched randomly selected normal controls without CRS. No enrolled patient had a history of nasal or adenoid surgery. The volume of the maxillary sinus was measured using a three-dimensional CT reconstruction program (V-works™ 4.0). The bony thickness of the maxillary (MS) and ethmoid sinuses (ES) and the middle turbinate (MT) was measured and compared. In addition, we evaluated the effect of disease duration on the sinus volume and bony thickness. Results: The mean volume of the MS was 22.5 ± 4.4 cm³ in the normal group and 20.0 ± 4.1 cm³ in the CRS group; this difference was statistically significant (p = 0.02). However, there was no correlation found between the disease duration and maxillary sinus volume (r = -0.07, p = 0.69). The mean thicknesses of the bony walls were 1.0 ± 0.4 mm (MS), 0.8 ± 0.4 mm (ES) and 1.8 ± 0.5 mm (MT) in the normal group and 1.2 ± 0.3 mm (MS), 1.2 ± 0.4 mm (ES) and 2.4 ± 0.5 mm (MT) in the CRS group; these differences were significant (p < 0.01). In addition, the bony thickness of the ES was significantly correlated with the duration of symptoms (r = 0.44, p = 0.03). Conclusion: The volume of the maxillary sinuses decreased and the bony thickness of the paranasal sinuses increased with longstanding pediatric CRS.