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Is frontal pain a useful marker of chronic frontal sinusitis?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 August 2023

Farizeh Jashek-Ahmed Open the ORCID record for Farizeh Jashek-Ahmed [Opens in a new window] ,
Jabin Thaj  and
Ahmed Eweiss
Farizeh Jashek-Ahmed*
Affiliation:
ENT Department, Havering and Redbridge NHS University Hospitals NHS Trust, Barking, UK
Jabin Thaj
Affiliation:
ENT Department, Havering and Redbridge NHS University Hospitals NHS Trust, Barking, UK
Ahmed Eweiss
Affiliation:
ENT Department, Havering and Redbridge NHS University Hospitals NHS Trust, Barking, UK ENT Department, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
*
Corresponding author: Farizeh Jashek-Ahmed; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Objective

This study evaluated the relationship between frontal pain as a symptom in chronic frontal sinusitis and radiological and endoscopic findings, quality of life and disease severity. The aim was to determine its utility as a marker in chronic frontal sinusitis and in surgical decision-making.

Method

This was a prospective study of 51 consecutive patients undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis. Patients ranked their frontal pain score on a numerical rating scale from 0 to 10. Facial pain or pressure, Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-22, Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation score, Lund–Mackay score and modified Lund–Kennedy score were also collated. Statistical analysis was performed using analysis of variance and Pearson correlation coefficient.

Results

Frontal pain scores were low and demonstrated no correlation with the extent of frontal sinus disease radiologically or the severity of overall sinus disease endoscopically. Higher frontal pain scores significantly correlated with poorer quality-of-life.

Conclusion

This study does not support the use of frontal pain as a sensitive or specific marker of chronic frontal sinus disease.

Keywords

Frontal sinusitisquality of lifechronic diseaseendoscopynasal surgical procedures
Type
Main Article
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 138 , Issue 12 , December 2024 , pp. 1144 - 1148
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of J.L.O. (1984) LIMITED

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Footnotes

Farizeh Jashek-Ahmed takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper

Presented as a poster at BACO International 2023, 15–17 February, Birmingham, UK.

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