Evaluation of anatomical variations of the nasal cavity and ethmoidal complex on cone-beam computed tomography

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of anatomical variations of the nasal cavity and ethmoid complex on cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. The CBCT images of 322 patients were evaluated retrospectively. The anatomical variations of the bilateral nasal cavity and ethmoidal complex were evaluated in four categories, namely nasal septum, turbinates, ethmoid air cells, and crista galli. The patients comprised 134 males (41.6 %) and 188 females (58.4 %), with an age range of 18-83 years. One or more nasal septum variations were observed in 76.7 % of patients, while variations in the turbinate and ethmoid cell categories were present in 89.4 and 62.1 % of patients, respectively. Overall, 5 % of patients showed pneumatized crista galli. The detailed radiographic examination of the nasal cavity and ethmoid complex is possible and successful on the CBCT images.