On a panoramic film a patient wears earrings in both ears. One side shows two circular radiopacities and the other shows three, projecting into the maxillary sinus region. What is present inside the LEFT maxillary sinus?

Correct answer: A. Right earring

• A. CORRECT. On panoramic films a ghost image projects to the opposite side, higher and magnified. The image over the left sinus is the ghost of the right earring.
• B. INCORRECT. The left earring projects as a real image on the left side near the ear, not within the opposite sinus.
• C. INCORRECT. The opacity is explained by a known earring, not an unknown foreign body.
• D. INCORRECT. The appearance is a ghost artifact, not a calcification.