Morphometric and volumetric evaluation of maxillary sinus in patients with COPD using cone-beam computed tomography

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a systemic disease that occurs against harmful gases and particulates and is characterized by abnormal inflammatory response affecting the airways, interstitium and vascular bed in the lungs. It is thought that sinonasal changes in individuals with COPD may affect maxillary sinus morphology and volume. The aim of this study is to evaluate the maxillary sinuses morphometrically and volumetrically using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) with 3D Synapse software in the patients with COPD. In our study; CBCT images of 80 individuals that exist from 40 patients with COPD and 40 healthy individuals (6 females, 34 males) in the tomography archive of Gaziantep University Faculty of Dentistry were retrospectively analyzed. The area and volume of maxillary sinuses in COPD and control group were measured by 3D Synapse software (Fujifilm, Tokyo, Japan) and obtained findings were statistically evaluated according to age, gender, maxillary sinus anatomic variations and pathologies and toothless classification. According to our results; in the COPD group, maxillary sinus area was found as 582.9 mm2, 578 mm2 and 1161.08 mm2 in right, left and total respectively. In the control group it was detected as 640.5 mm2, 692 mm2 and 1332.25 mm2, respectively. It was observed that there was no statistically significant difference between the right maxillary sinus area and the groups, but left maxillary sinus and total sinus area of COPD group were found to be significantly lower than the control group (p<0.05). In the COPD group, the mean volume of the maxillary sinus was found as 11.5 cm3, 12.03 cm3 and 23.53 cm3 in the right, left and total, respectively. In the control group, it was determined as 15.52 cm3, 15.92 cm3 and 31.44 cm3, respectively. A statistically significant difference was found between right, left and total maxillary sinus volume in both groups (p<0.05). Maxillary sinus volume was found significantly lower in the patients with COPD than in the healthy controls. As a result; CBCT is a practical and effective imaging method for the evaluation of maxillary sinuses. It is thought that inflammatory diseases that cause sinonasal changes such as COPD may affect maxillary sinus sizes.