Quantification for Staging Sinusitis

Abstract

A method of quantifying the symptoms, radiologic data, and endoscopic findings in extensive sinus disease is proposed. It is intended to enable clinicians to classify patients with extensive sinus disease according to severity of disease and prognostic category. The rubric of extensive sinus disease, for scoring and staging, comprises recurrent acute sinusitis and chronic sinusitis, but not an isolated episode of acute sinusitis. The method assigns simple numeric scores to specific computed tomography findings, elements of surgical history, presence of defining symptoms of sinusitis, and endoscopic appearance. This quantitative system may be rationalized into a staging system.