A CT Scan Study Showing Prevalence of Haller Cells in Patients with Sinonasal Complaints

Abstract

Background: Anterior ethmoid cells that extend into the maxillary sinus roof are known as Haller cells. They are commonly seen on the floor of the orbit. They may cause sinusitis symptoms by blocking the infundibulum, may get infected and also sometimes complicate the Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS). The present study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of Haller cells on CT scans in patients having sino-nasal complaints. Subjects and Methods : This was a descriptive observational study carried out on 150 patients who presented with various sino-nasal complaints and underwent a CT Scan in the Department of Radiodiagnosis, Bangur Institute of Neurosciences, Kolkata. Their CT scans were studied retrospectively for the presence of Haller cells. Radiological variations data were summarized by routine descriptive statistics namely counts and percentages for categorical variables. Fisher’s Exact Tests and were applied to calculate the ‘p’ value to find out any statistically significant difference between males and females. Results: Haller cells were found in 12% (18 cases) in the present study, 5.33% in males and 6.67% in females. ‘p’ value in this case was 0.616 on applying Fisher’s Exact test. Conclusion: Anatomical variations of the paranasal sinus region like Haller cells are quite common and they must be searched for by the surgeons planning any endoscopic sinus surgery. This study attempted to provide the prevalence of the Haller cells in Eastern India which will definitely help the FESS surgery and its outcomes.