The diagnostic role of ultrasound in sinonasal pathology

Abstract

Introduction: The rhinosinusal pathology represents one of the most frequent diseases in Otorhinolaryngology. The ultrasonography investigation methods applied to the anterior facial sinuses are frequently used to diagnose, especially as a screening test for nasosinusal pathology. They rely on the reflection of ultrasonic beams of the targeted organ, respectively on the analysis of the reflected beams. The sinusal ultrasonography especially addresses to the anterior facial sinuses, the maxillary sinuses, the anterior ethmoidal sinuses and the frontal sinuses. It does not apply to the posterior ethmoidal cells, respectively the sphenoidal sinuses which are a part of the posterior facial sinuses. The objective of the study is to demonstrate the usefulness of ultrasonography in current rhinology examination, for ambulatory evaluation of patients with inflammatory rhinosinusal pathology. Material and methods: In the study, the group of patients with inflammatory rhinosinusal pathology were subjected to nasal endoscopy afterwards to rhinosinusal echography. B mode ultrasonography was used utilizing the soft tissue convex probe. Patients suffering of chronic and acute rhinosinusitis as well as other inflammatory sinusal pathologies underwent ultrasonography investigations. Results: The clinical and ultrasonographical examination represented the main method of ambulatory investigation for patients suspected of acute and chronic sinusitis. The average age of patients was 56 years, 40.75% of them were female and 59.25% male, 97.54% suffered of sinusitis and 2.46% of other sinusal pathologies. 28.39% of the patients that underwent ultrasonography were ulterior investigated using sinusal computer tomography (CT) scan. Conclusion: Sinusal ultrasonography represents a screening method in diagnosing rhinosinusal pathologies. For a complete and complex diagnosis this method should be followed by a CT scan.