Flexible fiberoptic rhinoscopy in the diagnosis of sinusitis

Two-hundred forty-six patients with undiagnosed headache, after unrewarding neurologic evaluation, were referred to an allergy clinic and were evaluated both by routine sinus radiographs and flexible fiberoptic rhinoscopy. Ninety-eight patients had only rhinoscopic evidence of sinusitis (group I), 84 patients had both rhinoscopic and radiographic evidence of sinusitis (group II), and 64 patients had neither rhinoscopic nor radiographic evidence of sinusitis (group III). Antibiotic treatment resulted in relief of headaches in 94% of group I, 75% of group II, and 5% of group III patients. The distribution of sinus infections found by both rhinoscopy and radiography were similar; however, rhinoscopy may have found the disease earlier than radiography. Flexible fiberoptic rhinoscopy is an efficient method for the office diagnosis of sinusitis.