Acute sinusitis

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Acute sinusitis is an acute inflammation of the paranasal sinus mucosa that lasts less than four weeks and can occur in any of the paranasal sinuses. If the nasal cavity mucosa is also involved then the term rhinosinusitis may be used.

Clinical presentation

Fever, headache, postnasal discharge of thick sputum, nasal congestion and an abnormal sense of smell.

Pathology

Aetiology

Usually following a viral upper respiratory tract infection. Dental caries, periapical abscess and oroantral fistulation lead to a spread of infection to the maxillary sinus. Cystic fibrosis and allergy are risk factors.

Other anatomical variants that may predispose to the inflammation include nasal septal deviation, a spur of the nasal septum and/or frontoethmoidal recess variants.

Radiographic features

Plain radiograph

Opacification of the sinuses and air/fluid level best seen in the maxillary sinus. It does not allow assessment of the extent of inflammation and its complications.

CT

Better anatomical delineation and assessment of inflammation extension, causes and complications. Peripheral mucosal thickening, air/fluid level, air bubbles within the fluid and obstruction of the ostiomeatal complexes are recognised findings.

MRI

Signal characteristics of the affected regions include

T1: mucosal thickening is isointense to soft tissue and fluid is hypointense
T2: both mucosal thickening and fluid are, to a variable degree, hyperintense
T1C+: inflammed mucosa enhances whilst fluid does not

Complications

erosion through bone
- subperiosteal abscess
  - frontal sinus superficially (Pott puffy tumour)
  - frontal or ethmoidal sinuses into the orbit (subperiosteal abscess of the orbit)
dural venous sinus thrombosis
intracranial extension

Treatment and prognosis

Conservative medical treatment until the inflammation subsides and treatment of the cause, e.g. dental caries. If it becomes chronic sinusitis, functional endoscopic sinus surgery may be considered.

-<p><strong>Acute sinusitis</strong> is an acute inflammation of the paranasal sinus mucosa that lasts less than four weeks and can occur in any of the <a href="/articles/paranasal-sinuses">paranasal sinuses</a>. If the nasal cavity mucosa is also involved then the term rhinosinusitis may be used.</p><h4>Clinical presentation</h4><p>Fever, headache, postnasal discharge of thick sputum, nasal congestion and an abnormal sense of smell.</p><h4>Pathology</h4><h5>Aetiology</h5><p>Usually following a viral upper respiratory tract infection. <a href="/articles/dental-caries">Dental caries</a>, <a href="/articles/dental-abscess">periapical abscess</a> and <a href="/articles/oroantral-fistulation">oroantral fistulation</a> lead to a spread of infection to the maxillary sinus. <a href="/articles/cystic-fibrosis">Cystic fibrosis</a> and allergy are risk factors.</p><p>Other anatomical variants that may predispose to the inflammation include <a href="/articles/deviated-nasal-septum">nasal septal deviation</a>, a spur of the nasal septum and/or frontoethmoidal recess variants.</p><h4>Radiographic features</h4><h5>Plain radiograph</h5><p>Opacification of the sinuses and air/fluid level best seen in the maxillary sinus. It does not allow assessment of the extent of inflammation and its complications.</p><h5>CT</h5><p>Better anatomical delineation and assessment of inflammation extension, causes and complications. Peripheral mucosal thickening, air/fluid level, air bubbles within the fluid and obstruction of the <a href="/articles/ostiomeatal-complex">ostiomeatal complexes</a> are recognised findings.</p><h5>MRI</h5><p><strong>T1</strong>: mucosal thickening is isointense to soft tissue and fluid is hypointense</p><p><strong>T2</strong>: both mucosal thickening and fluid are, to a variable degree, hyperintense</p><p><strong>T1C+</strong>: inflammed mucosa enhances whilst fluid does not</p><h4>Complications</h4><ul>
+<p><strong>Acute sinusitis</strong> is an acute inflammation of the paranasal sinus mucosa that lasts less than four weeks and can occur in any of the <a href="/articles/paranasal-sinuses">paranasal sinuses</a>. If the nasal cavity mucosa is also involved then the term rhinosinusitis may be used.</p><h4>Clinical presentation</h4><p>Fever, headache, postnasal discharge of thick sputum, nasal congestion and an abnormal sense of smell.</p><h4>Pathology</h4><h5>Aetiology</h5><p>Usually following a viral upper respiratory tract infection. <a href="/articles/dental-caries">Dental caries</a>, <a href="/articles/dental-abscess">periapical abscess</a> and <a href="/articles/oroantral-fistulation">oroantral fistulation</a> lead to a spread of infection to the maxillary sinus. <a href="/articles/cystic-fibrosis">Cystic fibrosis</a> and allergy are risk factors.</p><p>Other anatomical variants that may predispose to the inflammation include <a href="/articles/deviated-nasal-septum">nasal septal deviation</a>, a spur of the nasal septum and/or frontoethmoidal recess variants.</p><h4>Radiographic features</h4><h5>Plain radiograph</h5><p>Opacification of the sinuses and air/fluid level best seen in the maxillary sinus. It does not allow assessment of the extent of inflammation and its complications.</p><h5>CT</h5><p>Better anatomical delineation and assessment of inflammation extension, causes and complications. Peripheral mucosal thickening, air/fluid level, air bubbles within the fluid and obstruction of the <a href="/articles/ostiomeatal-complex">ostiomeatal complexes</a> are recognised findings.</p><h5>MRI</h5><p>Signal characteristics of the affected regions include</p><ul>
+<li>
+<strong>T1</strong>: mucosal thickening is isointense to soft tissue and fluid is hypointense</li>
+<li>
+<strong>T2</strong>: both mucosal thickening and fluid are, to a variable degree, hyperintense</li>
+<li>
+<strong>T1C+</strong>: inflammed mucosa enhances whilst fluid does not</li>
+</ul><h4>Complications</h4><ul>
-</ul><h4>Treatment and prognosis</h4><p>Conservative medical treatment until the inflammation subsides and treatment of the cause, e.g. <a title="Dental caries" href="/articles/dental-caries">dental caries</a>. If it becomes chronic sinusitis, <a href="/articles/functional-endoscopic-sinus-surgery-1">functional endoscopic sinus surgery</a> may be considered.</p>
+</ul><h4>Treatment and prognosis</h4><p>Conservative medical treatment until the inflammation subsides and treatment of the cause, e.g. <a href="/articles/dental-caries">dental caries</a>. If it becomes chronic sinusitis, <a href="/articles/functional-endoscopic-sinus-surgery-1">functional endoscopic sinus surgery</a> may be considered.</p>

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