CTA Head When clinical or imaging findings point to potential vascular complications of sinusitis (mycotic aneurysm, venous thrombosis), CTA can be performed, either as a follow-up study or as part of the initial CT imaging protocol. CTA is not recommended as a stand-alone study but rather a complementary examination to standard head and sinus CT because other potential complications may be missed when only CTA is used. MR Venography Head When clinical or imaging findings point to potential vascular complications of sinusitis (venous thrombosis), MRV can be performed either as a follow-up study or as part of the initial CT imaging protocol. One relevant downside in the pediatric population is that this may increase imaging time of already lengthy MRI protocols, slightly increasing the need for or the duration of sedation. MRV is not recommended as a stand-alone study but rather a complementary examination to standard head and sinus MRI because other potential complications may be missed when only MRV is used. MRA Head When clinical or imaging findings point to potential vascular complications of sinusitis (mycotic aneurysm), MRA can be performed either as a follow-up study or as part of the initial MRI protocol. One relevant downside in the pediatric population is that this may slightly increase imaging time of already lengthy MRI protocols, increasing the need for or the duration of sedation. MRA is not recommended as a stand-alone study but rather a complementary examination to standard head and sinus MRI because other potential complications may be missed when only MRA is used. MRI Paranasal Sinuses MRI of the paranasal sinuses is a radiation-free, high-resolution imaging modality. MRI is more sensitive than IV contrast-enhanced CT (93% versus 63%) for detecting intracranial complications of sinusitis [21,25]. Studies have shown that MRI is significantly more accurate than CT (97% versus 87%) and clinical findings (82%) in diagnosing meningitis [25].
Sinusitis Child. CTA Head When clinical or imaging findings point to potential vascular complications of sinusitis (mycotic aneurysm, venous thrombosis), CTA can be performed, either as a follow-up study or as part of the initial CT imaging protocol. CTA is not recommended as a stand-alone study but rather a complementary examination to standard head and sinus CT because other potential complications may be missed when only CTA is used. MR Venography Head When clinical or imaging findings point to potential vascular complications of sinusitis (venous thrombosis), MRV can be performed either as a follow-up study or as part of the initial CT imaging protocol. One relevant downside in the pediatric population is that this may increase imaging time of already lengthy MRI protocols, slightly increasing the need for or the duration of sedation. MRV is not recommended as a stand-alone study but rather a complementary examination to standard head and sinus MRI because other potential complications may be missed when only MRV is used. MRA Head When clinical or imaging findings point to potential vascular complications of sinusitis (mycotic aneurysm), MRA can be performed either as a follow-up study or as part of the initial MRI protocol. One relevant downside in the pediatric population is that this may slightly increase imaging time of already lengthy MRI protocols, increasing the need for or the duration of sedation. MRA is not recommended as a stand-alone study but rather a complementary examination to standard head and sinus MRI because other potential complications may be missed when only MRA is used. MRI Paranasal Sinuses MRI of the paranasal sinuses is a radiation-free, high-resolution imaging modality. MRI is more sensitive than IV contrast-enhanced CT (93% versus 63%) for detecting intracranial complications of sinusitis [21,25]. Studies have shown that MRI is significantly more accurate than CT (97% versus 87%) and clinical findings (82%) in diagnosing meningitis [25].