Abstract
Using conventional radiography, maxillary sinus hypoplasia (MSH) may be misdiagnosed as chronic infective sinusitis in patients with chronic nasal symptoms. Commonly associated anatomical abnormalities of the lateral nasal wall and orbit may also be missed. Failure to recognize these abnormalities is fraught with hazards should sinus surgery be contemplated on such patients. With the use of high resolution computed tomography scans and rigid nasal endoscopy, MSH and associated subtle anatomic abnormalities of related structures are diagnosed with higher precision and surgical complications minimized. The incidence, pathogenesis, and classification of MSH is reviewed. The clinical and surgical implications of associated anomalies of the lateral nasal wall are discussed. Two illustrative cases are presented.
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