Frontal Sinus Agenesis and Possible Causal Relationship with Rhinosinusal Diseases

Abstract

Introduction: Knowledge of the anatomical variants of the paranasal sinuses is important, due to their consequences related to some rhinosinusal diseases, or because they can constitute a technical difficulty during surgery.

Objective: To identify frontal sinus agenesis, its frequency and possible causal relationship with some rhinosinusal diseases.

Methods: An observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out in 169 patients who underwent a Computed Tomography at Saturnino Lora Hospital from July to December 2020. The variables age, sex, risk factors, clinical manifestations, diagnosis definitive and anatomical variations of the frontal sinuses were operationalized.

Results: Ages between 45 and 64 years (47.3%) and female sex (50.9%) predominated. Agenesis was present in 83 patients (49.1%) and in 86 patients, the presence of these anatomical variations was not evident (50.9%). The risk factor that prevailed in patients with no anatomical variations and in those with right agenesis was smoking (70.9%) and (4.8%) respectively, the infection of teeth affected 16.8% of patients with left agenesis and history of allergy (61.4%) in whom bilateral agenesis was verified.

Conclusions: It was not possible to establish an important causal relationship between some rhinosinusal diseases and frontal agenesis. Purulent sinusitis was the most frequent disease.