THE FREQUENCY OF THE INFERIOR TURBINATE ANATOMIC VARIATIONS
1Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, KBB Anabilim Dalı, Isparta, Türkiye2Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Radyoloji Anabilim Dalı, Isparta, Türkiye Purpose: The variations of inferior turbinates (VIT) are not rare entity. The reported variants of inferior turbinate excluding hypertrophy are agenesis, hypogenesis, bifidity and pneumatization. The aim of this study is to determine the frequency of VIT.
Materials and Methods: The whole file records of patients scanned by paranasal sinus computed tomography (PNS-CT), for either rhinologic or orbital complaints were reviewed retrospectively.
Results: The anatomic variants determined from PNS-CTs of 1085 case were as follows: 419 hypertrophy (152 bilateral and 267 unilateral), 11 paradoxical curvature (8 bilateral and 3 unilateral), 8 hypoplasia (6 bilateral, 2 unilateral), 2 pneumatized, l bifidity (unilateral) and l epsilon-shaped (bilateral).
Conclusions: VIT frequency is 2 %, when excluding the inferior turbinate hypertrophy. The inferior turbinate hypertrophy should not be accepted as variants because of differences in comments, nasal cycle changes during scanning and 40 % frequency. In this study, paradoxical curvature of inferior turbinate is first determination of this variant.
Keywords : Anatomic variants, nasal obstruction, computed tomography, inferior turbinate