Value of Hounsfield Units in the Evaluation of Isolated Sphenoid Sinus Lesions

Abstract

Radiologic findings of fungal sinus disease are generally opacification in paranasal computed tomography (CT) images. The Hounsfield unit (HU) is a standardized objective unit that is also suitable for measuring remodeling and opacifications on CT scans of bone sections of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. We hypothesized that HU values could provide valuable information in isolated sphenoid sinus lesions before surgery. Between 2012 and 2019, 35 patients underwent functional endoscopic sinus surgery for sphenoid sinus lesions. Tissues obtained from the sphenoid sinus were divided into two groups, fungal and nonfungal, according to the findings of histopathologic examinations. HU values were measured in sphenoid sinus sections on paranasal CT scans of these two groups. Differences in mean and maximum HU values between the two groups were statistically significant (p