A comparative study of diagnostic nasal endoscopy and computed tomography in chronic rhinosinusitis

Abstract

Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common condition in medical practice. It is defined as inflammation of the mucosa of nose and paranasal sinuses, the fluids within these cavities, and/or the underlying bone that has been present with or without treatment for at least 12 weeks' duration. Objective: This study aimed to determine the correlation of nasal endoscopy examination and computed tomography (CT) in the early diagnosis of CRS. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out in outpatient Department of Otorhinolaryngology, in Rizgary Teaching Hospital in Erbil. A total of 60 patients with clinical evidence of sinonasal diseases were evaluated with nasal endoscopy and computed tomographic evaluation. Patients with previous variation of paranasal sinus anatomy due to facial trauma and former sinus surgery were rejected. Patients with history of having malignant neoplasms or congenital malformations were also excluded from the study. Results: Sixty patients with chronic rhinosinusitis participated in the study. Their mean age + standard deviation was 38.18 + 10.19 years, ranging from 20 to 63 years. The median was 37.5 years. The largest proportion (41.7%) of the sample aged 30–39 years old, and only 16.7% aged ≥50 years. The main symptoms of the patients were nasal obstruction (80%), ear pressure (80%), and nasal discharge (78.3%). No significant difference was detected between the two tests regarding their findings. Conclusion: Nasal endoscopy have sensitivity and specificity almost as good as CT scanning, and being an outpatient procedure, it may reduce unnecessary diagnostic scanning procedures.