Anatomic variations of the frontal sinus and its importance on maxillofacial surgery

The anatomy of the frontal sinus is a point of great interest for maxillofacial surgery, since surgical treatment of the region is often necessary. Through a study using CT scans, we seek to access the average volume, anteroposterior extension and width of the frontal sinuses in order to serve as a basis for surgical interventions in the upper third of the face resulting from trauma and other surgical techniques that address this region. The sample consisted of 199 patients of both sexes from the radiology clinic of the University Hospital Oswaldo Cruz at the Pernambuco University for diagnosis, during a period of four months. The images were taken in a 4-channels multislice/GE computerized tomographer (General Electric, New York, USA) and were visualized with Invesalius® (CTI, Brazil). The results impaired that the increase in the volume of pneumatized structures were not reflected among the studied age groups and that men have a significant difference between the measures when compared with women. With the variation of the sinuses it is concluded that a standardization for surgical reference of the frontal sinus is highly complex to obtain. Because of that, it poses a challenge for oral and maxillofacial surgeons.