Near infrared transillumination of the maxillary sinuses: Overview of methods and preliminary clinical results

Though sinusitis is a significant health problem, it remains a challenging diagnosis for many physicians mainly because of its vague, non-specific symptomology. As such, physicians must often rely on x-rays and CT, which are not only costly but also expose the patient to ionizing radiation. As an alternative to these methods of diagnosis, our laboratory constructed a near infrared (NIR) transillumination system to image the paranasal maxillary sinuses. In contrast to the more conventional form of transillumination, which uses visible light, NIR transillumination uses light with a longer wavelength which is less attenuated by soft tissues, allowing increased signal intensity and tissue penetration. Our NIR transillumination system is low-cost, consisting of a light source containing two series of light emitting diodes, which give off light at wavelengths of 810 nm and 850 nm, and a charge coupled device (CCD) camera sensitive to NIR light. The light source is simply placed in the patient's mouth and the resultant image created by the transmittance of NIR light is captured with the CCD camera via notebook PC. Using this NIR transillumination system, we imaged the paranasal maxillary sinuses of both healthy patients (n=5) and patients with sinus disease (n=12) and compared the resultant findings with conventional CT scans. We found that air and fluid/tissue-filled spaces can be reasonably distinguished by their differing NIR opacities. Based on these findings, we believe NIR transillumination of the paranasal sinuses may provide a simple, safe, and cost effective modality in the diagnosis and management of sinus disease.