Evaluation of Transillumination Diagnostic value in Diagnosis of Acute Sinusitis in Military Areas with out Medical Modalities

Para nasal sinuses are air cavities around the nose that allocates many diseases to them. Between military personnel ENT illness is one of the most prevalent problems. Acute Sinusitis is the most common disease that involves sinuses, most probably maxillary and frontal sinuses. Recent advances in radiologic imaging and new endoscopic techniques have improved both diagnostic and therapeutic capability. Transillumination of frontal and maxillary sinuses is a clinical approach to sinusitis. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the value of sinus transillumination examination in the diagnosis of acute sinusitis. The study was conducted in the form of a processing research on 100 subjects with the signs and symptoms of acute sinusitis that referred to baqiyatallah otolaryngology clinic during the year 2003. Conducting the transillumination examination of the sinuses, computed tomography (as the gold standard for diagnosis) was performed for all the subjects. All data were collected and sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of transillumination were measured according to CT-scan findings. Considering P value < 0.05, all the date were analyzed using spss software version 11.5. Of all, 74 subjects were male and 26 subjects were female. Mean age of the subjects was 33 year (SD=3.1). 64 subjects’CT-scan findings were positive (patient). In this study the conformity percent of transillumination with abnormal CT scan were 73.5% and 60.1% for maxillary and frontal sinuses, respectively (sensitivity). These values on normal CT scan and transillumination examination were 63.5% and 90% for maxillary and frontal sinuses, respectively. This study reveals that performing transillumination examination can be helpful as a diagnostic test for sinusitis especially in ruling out the sinus involvement (especially for frontal sinus). Given the high prevalence of sinusitis, its serious complications and lack of imaging equipments in military areas, transillumination examination is highly recommended to physicians.