Medial sigmoid depression prevalence and association with a sigmoid notch: cone beam computed tomography and panoramic image study

Abstract

This study aims to determine whether and how the data of the medial sigmoid depression (MSD) area via cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) differs from panoramic radiography. This study also aims to evaluate various sigmoid notch types and assess the relationship between sigmoid depression and notch morphology. A total of 129 individuals consisting of 258 sides were evaluated. Chi-Square/Fisher Exact tests were used to assess parameters on a categorical scale between two or more groups. McNemar’s test compared the findings detected on panoramic and CBCT images. MSD was more prevalent in females than males in both techniques, but this difference was not statistically significant. There was no association between the prevalence of MSD and the morphology of the sigmoid notch. The incidence of MSD shape was not significantly different between both imaging modalities. In both panoramic and CBCT, we found a high and similar prevalence of MSD. While the MSD prevalence was 66.7% for CBCT, it was 58.1% for panoramic. The shape or prevalence of MSDs in either approach did not correlate with sigmoid notch morphology. The two approaches' identical prevalence indicates that the panoramic image has adequately defines MSD. The high prevalence of MSD demonstrated how important it is for clinicians to characterize this anatomical variation accurately for the surgical treatment.