ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Transillumination of maxillary sinuses was an important method before the invention of X-rays. But as the more precise and valuable methods have been developed, its importance has been reduced in clinical practice. OBJECTIVES: To elucidate the vailidity of the transillumination in diagnosing the maxillary sinus diseases, the transillumination method was compared with the conventional PNS series. MATERIALS AND METHOD: We performed transillumination tests in 100 adults(48 males and 52 females). A fiberoptic cable with halogen light sorce was enough for the examination. The light detected in the face of examinee in the dark room was evaluated. We studied the clinical reliability of transillumination in representing the status of the maxillary sinus. RESULTS: For bilateral sinusitis group(N=48), transillumination matched with the conventinal PNS series in 64.6%(31/48) of the cases, unilateral sinusitis group(N=17) in 82.4%(14/17) and normal group(N=35) in 88.6%(30/35). The overall matched-rate was 75%(75/100). CONCLUSIONS: The transillumination is a helpful non-invasive mothod for clinical evaluation of the maxillary sinus conditions.