Plain radiological profile of paranasal sinuses in chronic nasal diseases in University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital

Abstract

The paranasal sinuses can get affected by chronic diseases that maybe mitotic, bacterial, fungal and allergic. Plain x-rays, sinoscopy, tomograms, ultrasound scan, CT-scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique are some of the means by which the sinus can be evaluated and a diagnosis made. The aim of this study is to evaluate the plain radiological findings of the paranasal Sinuses in-patient with chronic nasal diseases in the University of Port Harcourt Teaching hospital. This is a prospective study of patients seen at the otorhinolaryngology out patient clinic of the university of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital from August 2002 to November 2003. All patients with symptoms suggestive of nasal or paranasal sinus disease of more than 8 weeks duration were evaluated for the study. All the patients had plain radiographs in the occipito-mental, occipito-frontal and lateral views. A radiologist interpreted the x-rays. A total of 66 patients were seen with a male to female ratio of 1: 1.4. Ages of patients ranged from 17 years to 65 years. 72.7% had chronic infective sinusitis, 9.1% had vasomotor rhinitis and 6.1% had allergic rhinitis. Plain x-rays showed engorged turbinates due to allergy in 43.9% of patients, chronic sinusitis with engorged turbinates in 15.1%, engorged turbinates in 13.6%, chronic sinusitis in 10.6% and opaque nasal fossa in 6.1%. The maxillary sinus was most commonly involved site of disease as seen in (71.2%) of patients. The sphenoid sinus was the least involved (7.4%). Thirteen patients (19.7%) did not show any changes in the sinus x-rays. Chronic sinusitis is the commonest chronic nasal disease. Engorged nasal turbinate was the commonest plain x-ray finding. The maxillary sinus was the most commonly diseased sinus. In 19.7%, the plain radiograph was normal. Plain radiographs are a cheap and readily available tool for the investigation of diseases of the paranasal sinuses with good results in this environment.