Concha bullosa and septal deviation

The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of concha bullosa (CB) in cases with septal deviation (SD), correlation between the angle of deviation and degree of pneumatization and compare these correlations with qualitative and quantitative methods. We retrospectively searched our radiology database for all paranasal sinus computed tomography (CT) findings for 672 patients. All scans were grouped according to the presence and side of SD and/or CB. SD angles and pneumatization degree of the CB were measured with appropriate method. These findings were also classified according to the initial defined qualitative method. Generally, CB and SD incidences were 31.52 and 47.77%, respectively. CB ratio in SD patients was 45.34% whereas ratio in non-SD patients was 18.95%. Mean deviation angle of the isolated SD group (15.24 ± 5.03) was found higher than both deviation angle of the unilateral CB + SD group (13.16 ± 4.19) and bilateral CB + SD group (11.15 ± 3.73) (P = 0.002, P = 0.0001 respectively). In conclusion, CB may tend to develop bilaterally in normal, non-deviated nose. However, the increasing incidence of unilateral CB, especially contralateral ones, in septal deviated patients suggested that SD may prevent the development of ipsilateral CB.