Introduction: We aim to investigate the associations between nasal airway volume and the orbital complications with acute sinusitis.

Materials and methods: Patients who were diagnosed with orbital complications as a result of acute sinusitis labeled as case group, and the patients who had undergone computed tomography (CT) for indications other than sinonasal diseases were assigned as control group. We compared the similar age ranged 13 patients from case group to 13 participants from control group.Tomographic volumetric measurements in five anatomical regions (the nasal cavity, maxillary sinuses, frontal sinuses, ethmoid sinuses and nasopharynx) were compared and correlated. An independent sample t -test was used to assess the association between the 3D measurements of the nasal airways.

Results: Comparison between normal subjects and patients with orbital complications revealed that the case group had decreased total nasal cavity volume (P = .003), decreased ethmoid sinus volume (P = .008), decreased nasopharynx volume (P = .046) than normal subjects. The volume of the frontal sinus and maxillary sinuses were not associated with orbital complications with acute sinusitis (P > 0.05). In the case group, there was no significant difference between right and left maxillary sinuses volume of complicated and healthy side.

Conclusion: Decreased nasal airway, ethmoid sinuses and nasopharynx volume is associated with orbital complications of acute sinusitis. It is important to be more careful in terms of orbital complications in acute sinusitis patients with narrow nasal air passage and with adenoid hypertrophy.

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest