Chronic Sinusitis is described as inflammation and swelling within the cavities surrounding the nasal passages, known as the sinuses. This causes a disruption in drainage causing mucus to fill the cavities. Due to the backup of mucus in the cavities, a moist environment exists which is ideal for infection to occur. Patients may complain of abnormally thick drainage (often yellow or green) from the nose or down the back of their throat (often leading to a sore throat), difficulty breathing, swelling of the nose and eyes, coughing and fatigue. While the signs and symptoms are the same with acute sinusitis, chronic is associated with sinusitis that lasts longer than 8 weeks or is recurrent. Common causes include: nasal polyps, allergies, deviated septum, facial trauma, and respiratory tract infections. These incidents often cause obstruction of the sinus passages. People are more at risk for this pathology if they have abnormalities within their nasal passages, allergies, and/or other respiratory complications, such as asthma. While cultures or allergy tests may be used to diagnose this pathology, CT is the ideal tool within the Imaging department. Nasal sprays, decongestants, and steroids may be used for treatment, as well as antibiotics to clear the infection. The patient should also get plenty of rest and increase their fluid intake during recovery. Immunotherapy consisting of allergy shots may be used to prevent recurrent infections; while in treatment resistant cases surgery may be an option.
A CT or CAT scan (computed tomography) is a much more sensitive imaging technique than x-ray, allowing high definition not only of the bony structures, but of the soft tissues.
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