Effects of the position of uncinate process on olfactory fossa depth and lateral lamella length

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the variations of olfactory fossa and lateral lamella by reference to the attachment site of uncinate process. Methods: To perform the comparison of the olfactory fossa depth, 250 patients were categorized into three groups. Patients with bilateral type A uncinate process were included in the group A, patients with a unilateral type A uncinate process were included in the group B, and the patients with a type B or C uncinate process on both sides were included in the group C. To compare the lateral lamella length, we used the categorization of 500 uncinate processes from 250 patients, based on the attachment site of uncinate: lamina papyracea, skull base and middle turbinate. Results: The mean olfactory fossa depth did not significantly differ between the group A and B (p=0.503), however, it was significantly greater in the group C, compared to both to the group A (p