Frontal Sinus
Definition
Bilateral air-filled cavities within the frontal bone, superior to the orbits, that pneumatise from the embryonic frontal recess of the nasal passages. Their individual silhouette, stable from adolescence, forms the basis of comparative radiographic identification (Mayer 1935; Hatch 2014).
- Location
- Bilateral, within the frontal bone, above the orbits
- Origin
- Pneumatises from the embryonic frontal recess
- Stability
- Stable from adolescence
- Forensic use
- Comparative radiographic identification
Common questions
Why is frontal sinus shape considered a reliable identifier when comparing radiographs?+
Its outline develops from irregular, largely random pneumatisation of the frontal bone rather than a genetically fixed pattern, so the resulting silhouette is highly individual, comparable in principle to a fingerprint, and stays essentially unchanged once growth completes in adolescence.
What kind of case relies on frontal sinus comparison for identification?+
It is used when soft tissue is too decomposed, burned, or skeletonised for visual or fingerprint identification but an antemortem skull or chest radiograph showing the sinus exists, allowing a postmortem film to be overlaid or compared point by point against it.
Related terms
- ABFA
- American Board of Forensic Anthropology. The primary US credentialing body for forensic anthropologists. Accepts frontal sinus radiographic comparison as an established personal...
- Comparative Radiography
- The forensic discipline of placing an antemortem radiographic image alongside a postmortem image and comparing feature by feature to determine whether they...
- DVI
- Disaster Victim Identification. The multi-agency identification process used in mass-casualty events. Comparative radiographic methods, including frontal sinus, dental and implant comparison, form...
- Exclusion
- The categorical conclusion that one or more examined features are clearly inconsistent in a way that cannot be explained by projection angle,...
- Orthopantomogram (OPT)
- A panoramic dental radiograph that images all teeth and the surrounding jaw structures in a single curved-plane projection. Widely used in dental...
- Positive Identification
- The categorical conclusion in comparative radiography that all examined features are concordant, no feature is inconsistent, and the overall pattern of correspondence...
- SWGANTH
- Scientific Working Group for Forensic Anthropology. A US expert panel that produced guidance documents (2008-2013) on standards for forensic anthropological practice, now...
- UDI
- Unique Device Identifier. A code mandated by the FDA (US) and EU MDR on every medical device, encoding manufacturer, model, lot and...
- Vertebral Osteophyte
- A bony outgrowth from the margin of a vertebral body, typically caused by degenerative disc disease or spondylosis. The size, shape, position...