Sinusitis - chronic

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Chronic sinusitis

Sinuses

Sinusitis

Chronic sinus infection; Chronic sinusitis

Symptoms may last for 3 months or more.

• Headache (in the front of the head or around the eyes)
• Facial pain around the eyes or in the forehead or cheeks
• Pain in the roof of the mouth or teeth
• Nasal drainage (yellow, yellow-green, thick)
• Cough

The health care provider will examine you and tap lightly on your face over your sinuses. This method is called percussion. It may reveal tenderness in the area.

Normal sinuses glow when light shines directly onto them. (See: Transillumination ). If sinusitis is present, the sinuses will not glow when your doctor shines a light onto them.

Other tests that may be done include:

• Sinus x-rays
• CT scan of the skull
• MRI of the skull

These imaging tests may show the sinuses to be filled with fluid or reveal thickening of sinus tissues.

A method called aspiration may be done to determine what type of bacteria, if any, is causing the infection.

Review Date: 08/08/2006
Reviewed By: D. Scott Smith, M.D., MSc, DTM&H, Chief of Infectious Disease & Geographic Medicine, Kaiser Redwood City, CA & Adjunct Assistant Professor, Stanford University. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.