RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Chronic sinusitis is a pathology that has been increasing in incidence in world population. The Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) reports 91 cases per year per 100,000 people. In the last decades, much has been advanced concerning knowledge of the physiology of paranasal sinuses and thus of the pathogenesis of sinusitis; this has led to developing of functional endoscopic sinus surgery. To perform this kind of surgery, it is mandatory to have computerized tomography, and the necessity of clinical-radiologic correlation has been recognized to attain better diagnosis and treatment. OBJECTIVE: To determine clinical-radiologic correlation of chronic sinusitis in adult patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Correlational, transverse, convenience-assigned blind study from January to July 2002 in the Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital de Especialidades at the Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI in Mexico City. Kendall test was applied to a group of 31 patients. RESULTS: Nasal obstruction was found in 87%, mucopurulent rhinorrea in 55%, mucosal edema in 74%, and polyps in 42%. Most frequently paranasal sinus affected by sinusitis was maxillary sinus in 97% and least affected was frontal, in 58%. Of tomographic findings, most frequent was obstruction of ostiomeatal complex in 84%. There was no statistical significance (p > 0.05) in clinical-radiologic. DISCUSSION: No correlation was found between signs and symptoms evaluated with tomographic findings, as reported by other authors.
