Evaluation of Maxillary Sinus Pathologies in Children and Adolescents with Cleft Lip and Palate Using Cone Beam Computed Tomography: A Retrospective Study.

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate maxillary sinus (MS) pathologies in children and adolescents with cleft lip and palate (CLP) in comparison to a sex- and age-matched control group using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), retrospectively.

Method: CBCT images obtained between the years 2014 and 2022 from a total of 130 patients aged between 7 and 18 were considered eligible for this study. Age, sex, and the type of MS pathologies in each sinus were recorded in CLP (n = 65) and control (n = 65) groups. The MS pathologies were categorized and recorded for both right and left sinuses separately as: (1) healthy; (2) mucosal thickening >3 mm; (3) polypoidal mucosal thickening; (4) partial opacification; and (5) complete opacification. In the CLP group, the cleft type and side were also recorded. Variations of polypoidal mucosal thickenings were subcategorized as small, large, and multiple.

Results: The mean age of the 130 patients (58 female, 72 male) was calculated as 12.43 ± 3.13. Among the patients in the study and control groups, polypoidal mucosal thickening was found to be the most frequent sinus pathology (25.4%), while total opacification was found to be the least frequent (1.6%). Overall, only the number of sinuses with mucosal thickening greater than 3 mm was statistically significantly higher in the CLP than that of the control group (P < .05). In terms of cleft type and side, the frequency of the pathology based on the sinuses showed no significant difference in any of the pathology groups (P > .05).

Conclusion: Incidental findings in the oral and maxillofacial region that are detected on CBCT images of CLP patients may play an important role in the early diagnosis of MS diseases and aid in the referral for further evaluation.