An x-ray of the sinuses is prescribed by doctors if a patient is suspected of having sinusitis (an inflammatory process in the maxillary sinuses). The examination helps to identify the disease at the initial stage of its development and begin effective treatment that will help stop the development of the lesion and prevent the occurrence of complications. It is important to determine where to take a picture of the sinuses.
Procedure description
The procedure is performed in several projections:
- chin;
- axial;
- naso-chin.
A picture of he althy sinuses is performed in the naso-chin projection, during the procedure the patient rests on the stand of the radiographic device with his chin and nose. X-ray helps to accurately determine the condition of the maxillary sinuses and identify all the violations that occur in them.
Main indications
A picture of the sinuses is an effective diagnostic method with which you can get all the necessary information about the state of the examined organ and the circumosseous bones. This procedure is prescribed to patients in the following cases:
- with regular nosebleeds that occur due to an incomprehensiblereason;
- open or closed damage to bones or cranial facial part;
- at high risk of sinusitis (with the following symptoms common in a person: severe headache, rhinitis, fever, respiratory difficulties);
- another indication for diagnostics is the suspicion of the presence of polyps, cysts, tumor formations, adenoids and other foreign formations in the nasal cavity;
- to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment;
- to prepare for surgery.
Common X-ray contraindications
It is impossible for some people to take a picture of the paranasal sinuses due to certain contraindications to the procedure. It is forbidden for pregnant women and children under seven years of age. The procedure does not provoke the development of pain syndrome and is characterized by a small dose of radiation entering the human body. Such an examination is contraindicated for pregnant women, since at this time the fetus is highly sensitive to external negative factors. In some cases, X-rays during pregnancy cause abnormalities in the structure of the body in the newborn.
Children under the age of seven are given x-rays in very rare cases, as gamma rays can adversely affect the growth and development of a child's bones. In extreme cases, specialists resort to examining the sinuses in a child using this method (if the examinationmore useful than the possible harm received after it).
Sinusitis on x-ray
In the picture of the sinuses with sinusitis, the doctor can detect strongly darkened areas of the upper horizontal level in the lower and middle degrees - this will be a sign of the patient's disease. In the presence of allergic diseases, pillow-shaped protrusions of the mucous membrane can be seen in the picture. They may look like x-ray syndromes (additional growths of moderate or increased intensity).
Complete darkening of the maxillary sinuses appears when a large amount of pathological fluid accumulates under the influence of pneumococcus and streptococcus.
X-ray of the chin projection is carried out as follows: a person stands upright and leans his chin against a special stand. This position helps to clearly visualize the lower maxillary sinuses in the resulting image, and darken the upper ones a little.
Visualization in the picture
The description of the picture of the sinuses is carried out by the attending specialist. This projection well visualizes the lattice labyrinths near the nose, which become contaminated during the inflammatory process in the water or maxillary sinuses:
- pyramids of the temporal bones;
- maxillary sinuses over the entire surface.
Compared to the naso-chin view, the chin-tuck view provides a clear view of the lower half of the two sinuses, which are overlapped by the temporal pyramids.
The most difficult to visualizeis a lattice labyrinth. An anterior X-ray is taken to examine such a pathology.
What can you see in the resulting picture?
X-ray for sinusitis helps to see the following structures:
- nasal cavity;
- gaps in air cavities;
- ocular orbit;
- shading area;
- frontal bone;
- lattice maze.
CT scan of the sinuses helps to accurately identify all abnormalities in the nasal cavities. The accumulation of a large amount of fluid can be clearly seen on the radiograph. When considering the structure of the ethmoid labyrinth, special attention should be paid not so much to the severity of the lesion, but to the clarity of the contours of each cell.
In an adult, the cells of the cribriform labyrinth differ in the following features:
- small value;
- pronounced borders;
- medium wall thickness;
- violation in the structure of the intercostal septa;
- no specific structure of the labyrinth.
X-ray image helps to clearly visualize all marked structures. They are described by a radiologist.
Features of a nasal radiograph
During the procedure, the doctor receives an accurate picture of the nasal cavity with blackout areas. Seeing the shadow in the projection of adnexal formations, the specialist concludes that the patient has sinusitis. If there is a cavity with liquid inside, the presence of a maxillary cyst can be assumed.
X-ray examination ordered for diagnosispuffiness and purulent formations in the paranasal sinuses. If, after the procedure, the doctor finds pus in them, he will prescribe a complex treatment with antibacterial drugs. Throughout the course of taking the funds, additional radiography is carried out, which helps to determine the effect of the therapies.
In the picture during sinusitis, you can see a blackout in the upper horizontal level. At the initial stage of the development of the disease, an accumulation of a small amount of infiltrative fluid can be detected on an x-ray.
Determination of the condition of the maxillary sinuses
To understand if there is fluid in a person's maxillary sinuses, one should remember how water behaves in a glass. It always maintains the horizontal level of the liquid tilt even when the object's position changes.
An x-ray of the nose and paranasal sinuses also indicates whether a puncture is necessary to remove accumulated pus that cannot be removed simply by taking medication.
It is possible to clearly determine the area of accumulation of purulent formations from a negative image of the nasal cavity and paranasal formations. The x-ray image will help the doctor to make a clear diagnosis and make a more rational treatment for a particular case. In the picture of the sinuses of a he althy person, there are no dark spots and additional formations.
Tumor formations and x-rays
A picture of the paranasal sinuses helps to determine the presence in the organsolid structures: sarcoma, chondroma or osteoma. Such neoplasms are most often detected by chance when examining the image. When analyzing the resulting image, the specialist pays special attention not only to the location of the eclipse and its size, but also to the "plus-shadows".
In the classic picture, you can see a clear level of accumulated fluid, which helps to make an accurate diagnosis of the disease. In some cases, clear shadows are visible, which are located mainly at the edges.
If there are pronounced thickenings in the nasal mucosa, then this may indicate the presence of the following diseases in humans:
- catarrhal inflammation;
- allergy;
- chronic diseases;
- swelling after sinusitis.
X-ray of the accessory cavities of the nose does not have a strong radiation load on the human body. It is considered the only correct way to early diagnosis of inflammatory processes in the paranasal sinuses.
Frequency of the procedure
Many patients wonder how often x-rays of the paranasal sinuses are allowed. After any study in which gamma rays are used, information about the date of the radiation procedure is entered into the outpatient card of the patient.
If the doctor finds that such studies are carried out too often, he will forbid a second procedure. There is one distinguishing feature:X-rays of the nose are characterized by a very low dosage of radiation, so such an event can be carried out as many times as necessary to make an accurate diagnosis.
Transcription of survey results
On the images obtained after the diagnosis, the specialist can identify inflammatory processes, tumor formations, foreign bodies, cysts, curvature of the nasal septum, and anatomical disturbances in the location of the facial bones. Also, this procedure is often used by doctors to determine the patient's sinusitis - an inflammatory process that extends to the membrane of the paranasal sinuses.
After determining the formation in the upper jaw, the specialist diagnoses the patient with sinusitis, in some cases - ethmoiditis, frontal sinusitis or sphenoiditis. If a specialist can diagnose the disease in time, then there is a high chance of a favorable outcome and preventing the development of complications (for example, inflammation of the lining of the brain). All formations of a pathological nature, which are indicated in the picture, are added by specialists to a special medical report, with which after the patient is sent to an appointment with the appropriate doctor.
Digital x-ray is considered more informative and progressive. The picture of the sinuses is projected onto a computer, which helps to conduct a more detailed diagnosis of the organ. In addition, with this procedure, the specialist will be able to save the results in digital format and transfer them, if necessary, via the Internet.
To the main minusThis type of examination is highly costly. There is no need to be afraid of radiation therapy and try to avoid x-ray examination. The picture will help the doctor choose an effective treatment for the identified disease.
Where the procedure takes place
Where to take a picture of the sinuses? Examination of the nose and its individual parts can be carried out in a public or private paid medical center in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities of the country. Also, a certain price is set for such a procedure, which will depend on the specific clinic:
- X-ray of the paranasal sinuses (in one projection_ - about 1300 rubles;
- A picture of the nasal sinuses (in several projections) - from 1700 rubles.
X-ray of the sinuses is important in the following cases: to determine foreign formations, tumors, cysts, bone damage, with problems with the growth of teeth, deformities of the facial bones, in the absence of sinuses or their underdevelopment, as well as during the inflammatory process in paranasal sinuses.
Where to take a picture of the sinuses? There are the following Moscow clinics where you can undergo such a diagnostic examination:
- SHIFA Medical and Dental Clinic;
- Orange Clinic Medical Center;
- "Miracle Doctor" on Shkolnaya 49;
- Medical center "Doctor nearby" in Strogino;
- Clinic 1 in Lublino.
Carrying out in childhood
X-rays of the sinuses in children under 7 years of age are onlywhen there are special indications, as in some cases this procedure leads to slow bone growth and problems with osteogenesis.
Only a doctor can prescribe such a procedure. It should be noted that the suspicion of adenoiditis or sinusitis is not included in the list of indications for such a procedure at a young age.
Children over the age of 7 years, the procedure is carried out without much concern. But if it is possible to replace it with ultrasound diagnostics or magnetic resonance imaging, then the last two procedures are chosen.
If, due to their age or due to the presence of any diseases, the child cannot fix his head in one position on his own, then the parent helps him, who is previously given a special apron with lead inserts.
