The Unified Airway: Does Asthma Influence Paranasal Sinus Pneumatization?

The Unified Airway: Does Asthma Influence Paranasal Sinus Pneumatization? Ear Nose Throat J. 2019 May 07;:145561319848992 Authors: Marino MJ, Riley CA, Wu EL, Weinstein JE, McCoul ED Abstract Asthma has been implicated as a driving force in lower airway remodeling; however, its effect on upper airway development has not been studied. Clinical disease, particularly cystic fibrosis (CF), has been associated with anatomical paranasal sinus variation, although the mechanism for these variations remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine whether asthma is associated with altered sinus pneumatization. Five hundred ninety-one computed tomography scans, including 303 adolescents (age 13-18) and 288 adults (age > 18), were evaluated using the Assessment of Pneumatization of the Paranasal Sinuses (APPS) instrument. The APPS score is validated for assessing anatomical variation and total sinus volume. A diagnosis of asthma was ascertained from the medical record, and patients with CF were included as a positive control group. Patients with asthma had mean APPS score of 9.66, compared to 9.85 for participants without asthma ( P = .585). Subgroup analysis demonstrated similar findings among adults ( P = .817) and adolescents ( P = .585). Patients with a diagnosis of CF had significant sinus hypoplasia according to a mean APPS scores of 3.50 ( P < .001). Sinus hypoplasia persisted in both adults ( P < .001) and adolescent...
Source: Ear, Nose and Throat Journal - Category: ENT & OMF Authors: Tags: Ear Nose Throat J Source Type: research