This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Kristo, A.
Right arrow Articles by Alho, O.-P.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Kristo, A.
Right arrow Articles by Alho, O.-P.
Related Collections
Right arrow Dentistry & Otolaryngology

PEDIATRICS Vol. 111 No. 5 May 2003, pp. e586-e589

ELECTRONIC ARTICLE

Paranasal Sinus Findings in Children During Respiratory Infection Evaluated With Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Aila Kristo, MD*, Matti Uhari, MD{ddagger}, Jukka Luotonen, MD*, Petri Koivunen, MD*, Eero Ilkko, MD§, Terhi Tapiainen, MD{ddagger} and Olli-Pekka Alho, MD*

* Otorhinolaryngology
{ddagger} Pediatrics, and
§ Radiology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.

--> Objective. The spreading of acute respiratory infection into the paranasal sinuses in children is poorly defined. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency and spontaneous resolution of paranasal sinus abnormalities in children with acute respiratory infection using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods. We examined 60 children with MRI (mean age: 5.7 years) with symptoms of acute respiratory infection. Twenty-six children with major abnormalities in the first MRI scan had a follow-up MRI taken 2 weeks later.

Results. The children had had symptoms of uncomplicated acute respiratory infection for an average of 6 days before the first examination (mean duration: 6.5; standard deviation: 3.0). Approximately 60% of the children had major abnormalities in their maxillary and ethmoidal sinuses, 35% in the sphenoidal sinuses, and 18% in the frontal sinuses. The most common abnormal finding was mucosal swelling. The mean overall MRI scores correlated significantly with the symptom scores (rs = 0.3). Of the individual symptoms, nasal obstruction, nasal discharge, and fever were significantly related to the MRI scores. Among the 26 children with major abnormalities in the first MRI, the findings subsequently improved significantly (mean [standard deviation] score: 12.7 [5.6] to 5.7 [5.2]), irrespective of the resolution of symptoms.

Conclusions. These observations indicate that acute respiratory infection mostly spreads into the paranasal sinuses of children in the form of mucosal edema and that these abnormalities tend to resolve spontaneously without antimicrobial treatment.

Key Words: sinusitis • children • acute respiratory infection • MRI

Abbreviations: CT, computed tomography • MRI, magnetic resonance imaging • SD, standard deviation

Received for publication Aug 2, 2002; Accepted Dec 11, 2002.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 AAP Grand RoundsHome page
M. W. Weinberger
Additional Evidence Antibiotics Are Not Helpful for Sinusitis
AAP Grand Rounds, April 1, 2008; 19(4): 37 - 38.
[Full Text] [PDF]