Maxillary sinus development and sinusitis in patients with cleft lip and palate

Difference in maxillary sinus volumes of patients with cleft lip and palate

“…This result differs from Hiosaka et al findings, who reported larger maxillary sinuses on the non-cleft side in patients with UCLP [10]. On the other hand, our outcomes are in agreement with those of Suzuki et al and Lee & You, who also observed similar volumes between the sides [5,13].…”

“…The role of sinus development and, ultimately size, in cleft lip and palate patients has been studied previously and authors have proposed possible roles that clefting may play in causing sinusitis [2,4,5]. Authors have proposed contamination of the sinuses by oral secretions, made worse by velopharyngeal insufficiency or an oronasal fistula, as well as impaired mucociliary flow [1,2].…”

“…Several reports point to the fact that there are no differences in maxillary sinus size between cleft patients and normal populations with both 2D and 3D analyses [2,5]. However, when authors refer to 3D assessments, they are actually considering a 2D measurement (area of the sinus) performed in a 3D exam (MSCT).…”

“…These factors include reflux, sinuses which may be still developing, velopharyngeal insufficiency, presence of pharyngeal flap, maxillary sinus floor height, impaired nasal mucociliary function, as well as hypoplasia of the maxillary sinus [2,4,5]. However, no one factor has been definitively identified as a cause of sinusitis.…”

“…A significant anatomic variation could demonstrate a potential factor in the higher frequency of sinus disease among patients with cleft. Previous studies evaluated the area of maxillary sinuses of CLP patients using such different imaging modalities as conventional radiographs and multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) [2,4,5,[8][9][10]. However, the area estimation is a two-dimensional (2D) assessment of a three-dimensional (3D) structure, therefore potentially limited and prone to error.…”