Nasal nitric oxide concentration in paranasal sinus inflammatory diseases. (1/162)

In normal upper airways, nitric oxide is generated by the paranasal sinus epithelium and then diffuses into the nasal cavities. This study examined whether or not nasal NO concentration is affected by paranasal sinus inflammatory diseases. The influence of obstruction (nasal polyposis) and/or inflammation (allergy or chronic sinusitis) of the paranasal sinuses on nasal NO concentration was evaluated in nasal allergic (n=7 patients) or nonallergic (n=20) polyposis, nonallergic chronic sinusitis (n=10) and Kartagener's syndrome (n=6) and compared with control subjects (n=42). A score of alteration of the paranasal sinus (number of altered and occluded sinuses) was determined by a computed tomography scan. The nasal NO concentration in nasal nonallergic polyposis (150+/-20 parts per billion (ppb)) was significantly decreased compared with both controls (223+/-6 ppb, p=0.01) and polyposis with allergy (272+/-28 ppb, p<0.0001). In each group, the nasal NO concentration was inversely correlated with the extent of tomodensitometric alteration of the paranasal sinuses. In Kartagener's syndrome, the nasal NO concentration (14+/-2 ppb) was drastically decreased compared with all other groups, despite the presence of open paranasal sinuses. Thus, the nasal NO concentration in patients with nasal polyposis appeared to be dependent on both the allergic status and the degree of obstruction of the paranasal sinuses.  (+info)

Benign expansile lesions of the sphenoid sinus: differentiation from normal asymmetry of the lateral recesses. (2/162)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There is a wide range of normal variation is sphenoid sinus development, especially in the size of the lateral recesses. The purpose of this study was to determine imaging characteristics that may help differentiate between opacification of a developmentally asymmetric lateral recess and a true expansile lesion of the sphenoid sinus. METHODS: Coronal CT was performed in seven patients with expansile or erosive benign lesions of the sphenoid sinus, and results were compared to a control population of 72 subjects with unopacified sphenoid sinuses. The degree of asymmetry of lateral recess development was assessed with particular attention to the separation of vidian's canal and the foramen rotundum (vidian-rotundum distance). The images were also examined for evidence of: erosion, defined as loss of the normal thin bony margin on at least two contiguous sections; apparent thinning of the sinus wall, defined as a focal apparent decrease in thickness again on at least two contiguous sections; and for vidian's canal or foramen rotundum rim erosion or flattening. RESULTS: Of the seven patients with expansile lesions, vidian's canal margin erosion was present in seven, unequivocal sinus expansion in three, wall erosion in three, wall thinning in three, erosion of the foramen rotundum in two, and flattening in the foramen rotundum in four. Forty-one of the 72 controls had lateral recess formation, 28 of which were asymmetric. The distance between vidian's canal and the foramen rotundum (vidian-rotundum distance) relied on the presence or absence of pneumatization, with a significantly larger distance in the presence of greater wing pneumatization. Examination of 24 controls revealed apparent thinning of the sinus wall, typically at the carotid groove, but no flattening, thinning, or erosion of the vidian canal or of the foramen rotundum. CONCLUSION: Examination of controls and patients with expansile or erosive lesions of the sphenoid sinus revealed side-to-side asymmetry in the development of the sinus and lateral recess, making subtle expansion difficult to assess. Furthermore, variability in the vidian-rotundum distance correlated with degree of pneumatization, and did not necessarily reflect expansion. Thus, in the absence of gross sinus wall erosion, flattening or erosion of the rims of vidian's canal or the foramen rotundum provides the most specific evidence of an expansile or erosive process within the sinus.  (+info)

Use of standard radiography to diagnose paranasal sinus disease of asthmatic children in Taiwan: comparison with computed tomography. (3/162)

Paranasal sinus disease and bronchial asthma are frequently associated. Computed tomography imaging is currently the most reliable method for confirming the diagnosis of sinusitis. Due to the cost and amount of radiation during computed tomography, our aim was to analyze whether standard radiography, under computed tomography-control, had a reasonable degree of confidence in the diagnosis of sinusitis. Fifty-three asthmatic patients (42 males and 11 females) with a mean age of 9 years (range 4-14) were enrolled. We evaluated the maxillary sinuses, ethmoidal sinuses, frontal sinuses, and sphenoidal sinuses using standard radiography (Waters' view, Caldwell view, and lateral view) and compared with computed tomography (coronal views), the latter served as a standard. Computed tomography (CT) showed paranasal sinusitis in 58% (31/53) of the asthmatic children. Compared with the results of computed tomography, standard radiography revealed a sensitivity of 81.1% and a specificity of 72.7% for maxillary sinusitis. The sensitivity and specificity for ethmoidal, frontal, and sphenoidal sinusitis were 51.8%, 84.8%; 47.3%, 87.2%; and 40.8%, 93.3%, respectively. In 21 (40%) of the 53 patients, discrepancies were seen between the interpretations of standard radiography c and those of CT scans. In patients with maxillary sinusitis, the correlation between standard radiography and CT was good. However, ethmoidal, frontal, and sphenoidal sinusitis were poorly demonstrated using radiography. Standard radiography can be recommended as a screening method for maxillary sinusitis, but it is not recommended for the diagnosis of other paranasal sinusitis.  (+info)

Aspergillosis in children with cancer: A 34-year experience. (4/162)

A retrospective review of medical records, microbiology and pathology laboratory records, and nosocomial infection surveillance data was undertaken to describe the experience with culture-documented aspergillus infection in pediatric cancer patients at our facility. Sixty-six patients were identified from a 34-year period. The most common underlying diagnosis was leukemia. Risk factors included neutropenia, immunosuppression, and prior antibiotic therapy. On the basis of clinical presentation, 23 patients were believed to have disseminated disease and 43 to have localized disease. The lung was the most frequently affected organ. Despite aggressive medical and surgical management, overall mortality was 85% within the first year after diagnosis. Patients who presented with disease in sites other than the lungs fared better than patients with initial pulmonary involvement (P=.0014). Aspergillosis continues to be associated with poor outcome. Development of improved medical and adjuvant therapies, including surgery, is warranted.  (+info)

A case of optic neuropathy treated by percutaneous trans-coronary angiography. (5/162)

There are many risk factors involved in the development of ischemic optic neuropathy such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, arteriosclerosis, and vascular incompetence. Therefore, the treatment of ischemic optic neuropathy should not be solely based on proper diagnosis but should also involve a thorough and systemic investigation to identify those multifactorial possibilities, which may contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease. We report upon a patient who developed non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy following treatment of a sphenoethmoid mucocele, which lead to recovered vision and a satisfactory improvement of visual field defects, after percutaneous trans-coronary angiography with stent insertion of the coronary arteries.  (+info)

Two cases of orbital infarction syndrome. (6/162)

Orbital infarction syndrome is defined as ischemia of all intraorbital and intraocular structures. It is a rare disease caused by rich anastomotic vascularization of the orbit. It can occur secondary to different conditions, such as, acute perfusion failure, systemic vasculitis, orbital cellulitis and vasculitis. It results in orbital and ocular pain, total ophthalmoplegia, anterior and posterior segment ischemia, and acute blindness. We report here upon two cases of orbital infarction with similar presentations but with different causes, namely, mucormycosis and as a postoperative complication of intracranial aneurysm, discuss the possible mechanisms of orbital infarction, and present a review of the literature on the topic. The prompt recognition of clinical pictures and rapid diagnosis is essential for the early treatment of orbital infarction, since its progression is very rapid and it can be even fatal.  (+info)

Antibiotic prescribing in acute infections of the nose or sinuses: a matter of personal habit? (7/162)

BACKGROUND: A proper understanding of how and why GPs prescribe antibiotics in general practice is essential for the design of strategies aimed at making prescribing more rational. OBJECTIVE: The intention of this study is to contribute to such understanding by investigating which elements are important in the GP's decision to prescribe antibiotics for patients with acute infectious complaints of the nose and/or sinuses. METHODS: During their training in general practice, students observed the following elements while attending encounters between their trainer-GP and patients with a runny nose, blocked nose or cough: patient characteristics, contact characteristics, signs and symptoms, diagnosis and prescriptions. Information on practice characteristics and characteristics of the trainer-GP were collected. Data were analysed using multiple logistic regression and multiple linear regression. RESULTS: A total of 722 cases were analysed with the following results: the best independent predictor of an antibiotic prescription is the individual antibiotic prescribing rate (IAPR), which expresses the personal habit of the GP in prescribing antibiotics [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 5.27, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.22-8.62]. Others are the diagnostic labels "sinusitis" (adjusted OR 2.80, 95% CI 1.2-6.49) and "flu-like syndrome" (adjusted OR 0.08, 95% CI 0.01-0.45), and the sign "sinus tenderness" (adjusted OR 4.37, CI 2.15-8.89). The antibiotic prescribing behaviour intensifies with an increasing tendency to prescribe medication in general (beta = 0.46, P: < 0.00) and with an increasing defensive attitude (beta = 0.22, P: < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Whether or not a patient with an acute infection of the nose and/or sinuses will be handed an antibiotic prescription seems to depend more on the attending doctor's prescribing behaviour than on the clinical picture. Further qualitative research into attitudes which may be related to a high tendency to prescribe antibiotics consequently is of the utmost importance.  (+info)

Major orbital complications of endoscopic sinus surgery. (8/162)

BACKGROUND: The paranasal sinuses are intimately related to the orbit and consequently sinus disease or surgery may cause severe orbital complications. Complications are rare but can result in serious morbidity, the most devastating of which is severe visual loss. METHODS: A retrospective review was undertaken of four cases of severe orbital trauma during endoscopic sinus surgery. RESULTS: All the cases suffered medial rectus damage, one had additional injury to the inferior rectus and oblique, and two patients were blinded as a result of direct damage to the optic nerve or its blood supply. CONCLUSION: Some ophthalmic complications of endoscopic sinus surgery are highlighted, the mechanisms responsible are discussed, and recommendations for prevention, early recognition, and management are proposed.  (+info)