Evaluation of inflammatory disease in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses using CT in dogs and cats

Inflammatory sinonasal disease was diagnosed in five dogs and two cats with clinical signs of nasal discharge and epistaxis. Survey radiography and CT were performed in all of patients. CT scan of the rostral cranium was performed with a thickness of 2 or 5 mm. Nasal cytology and culture from nasal smear were performed immediately after CT examination. Remarkable increase of opacity in the nasal cavities and frontal sinuses was observed in only 3 cases. On CT images, the cavitating lesions were isodense in nasal cavity (7 cases), frontal sinuses (3 cases), and nasopharynx (2 cases) with destruction of the nasal septum (4 cases), maxillary turbinates (5 cases), maxilla (3 cases), and hard palate (3 cases). The lesions were enhanced after intravenous contrast administration in 5 cases and were not enhanced in 2 cases. Inflammatory cells were observed in nasal cytology. Most of the cultures from nasal smear were bacteria. CT is useful to diagnose sinonasal disease and is more accurate in demonstrating the extent and character of lesions of nasal cavity than radiography.