ARS Spread to Paranasal Sinuses, OMC Obstruction May Not Be Etiological Factors in Bacterial ARS Development

(click for larger image)
© Laryngoscope
KA) Coronal plane of a CBCT scan from a patient three days after onset of symptoms. Haller cell and concha bullosa are present on the right side, and a cyst is present in the right maxillary sinus. The nasal septum is deviated to the left (19.4°). Both osteomeatal complexes are open, and other paranasal sinus mucosal abnormalities are not present. (B) Coronal plane of a CBCT scan from a patient nine days after onset of symptoms. There are air-liquid levels in the left maxillary sinus and gas bubbles in the right. The patient underwent maxillary sinus aspiration, which was cultured for Haemophilus influenzae.

What are the associations among paranasal imaging results, symptoms, bony anatomic variations, and culture-proven bacterial acute rhinosinusitis (ARS)?

Bottom Line: Paranasal mucosal abnormalities and osteomeatal complex (OMC) obstruction do not develop gradually during ARS but are present when symptoms begin and remain fairly constant in most patients both with and without bacterial ARS.

Background: ARS is a common condition, but its pathophysiology and the development of bacterial ARS are not yet completely known. Pathophysiology has earlier been evaluated with radiologic imaging, but systematic sequential imaging of the paranasal sinuses of the same patients during a single ARS episode would provide more information on ARS pathophysiology.

Study design: Inception cohort study with 50 conscripts with ARS diagnosed between February 1 and April 15, 2012.

Pages: 1 | 2 | Single Page