Computed tomography of malignant maxillary sinus tumors

ABSTRACT

CT was done 81 times on 63 proven malignant maxillary sinus tumors for 3 years from Feb.1979 to May 1982 atSeoul National University Hospital. Pre-treatment CT were 54 and post-treatment CT were 31 on 28 patient. Theresult were as follows; 1. The most frequent histopathologic diagnosis was 44 cases (69.8%) of squamous cellcarcinoma. Others were 5 cases (7.9%) of adenoid cystic carcinoma, 3 cases (4.8%) of olfactory neuroblastoma, 3cases (4.8%) of malignant lymphoma, 2 cases (3.2%) of melanoma, 2 cases (3.2%) of malignant fibrous histiocytoma,a rhabdomyosarcoma, a basal cell carcioma, a fibrosarcoma and a metastatic carcinoma from thyroid follicular adenocarcinoma. 2. The CT findings in 54 untreated malignant maxillary sinus tumors were sinus opacification, softtissue mass, and bone destruction in all cases. Other findings were fat plane obliteration (70%),osteosclerosis(59%), bone erosion and displacement (46%), low densities within soft tissue mass (27%), and airdensitis wiithin soft soft tissue mass (27%), and air densities within soft tissue mass(13%). 3. The value of pre-treatment CT in malignant maxillary sinus tumors were outlining the disease process especially soft tissuesuch as orbit, infratemporal fossa, pterygopalatine fossa, nasopharynx, pterygoid fossa and intracranialextension, and CT is the choice of diagnostic modality to determine the prognosis and the therapeutic planning insurgery and/or radiotherapy. 4. Post-treatment CT is also helpful to evalute the change in tumor size andpost-treatment complication.