Evaluation of maxillary sinus volumetry and sinonasal pathologies in asthma and COPD patients using cone beam computed tomography

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of pathologies in the sinonasal region in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, as well as the volumetric change in the maxillary sinuses of these patients. Method: In this study, 120 participants, 40 asthma, 40 COPD and 40 healthy patients aged 18-85 years, 40 with asthma, 40 with COPD and 40 with COPD, who were registered in the Dentasist system and whose Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CIBT) images were obtained for various reasons, who applied to Akdeniz University Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Oral, Dental and Maxillofacial Radiology between 2021 and 2024, were included in the study. Morphometric evaluation was performed using CIBT and the volume of the maxillary sinuses was examined by transferring the image data to the 3D Slicer program. The findings were statistically evaluated according to age, gender, edentulousness classification and morphologic characteristics between the groups. Results: In volumetric evaluation, maxillary sinus volume and area values of asthma patients were significantly lower than both groups (p<0.05). No significant results were found in volume and area values in terms of gender and age (p>0.05). When we evaluated sinonasal pathologies, it was observed that the rate of sinusitis was significantly higher in COPD patients compared to the other two groups (p<0.05). Variations were also evaluated in our study and it was observed that the rate of maxillary sinus hypoplasia in asthma patients and onodi cell in COPD patients was significantly higher than the other groups (p<0.05). In the control groups, maxillary sinus volume and area values of edentulous patients were significantly higher than those of edentulous patients (p<0.05). Conclusion: Since asthma and COPD are chronic respiratory diseases, volumetric changes, various sinonasal pathologies and variations can be observed in the maxillary sinuses of these patients. Utilizing CIBT for the evaluation and detection of these findings is very important for both the course of the disease and treatment planning.