title: [Clinical criteria for acute maxillary sinusitis in general practice].
abstract: The purpose of the investigation was to examine the diagnostic value of various symptoms, clinical findings, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) in acute maxillary sinusitis using the aspiration of purulent or mucopurulent from the sinus of a patient with a pathological CT-scanning as the golden standard. Of 174 patients with suspected acute maxillary sinusitis seen in general practice we found 70% to have a pathological CT-scanning and 53% to have pus or mucous pus in the sinus aspirate. Only the ESR and CRP level were found to be significantly and independently associated with a positive diagnosis as defined by the golden standard. A clinical criterion based on either an elevated ESR and/or CRP level in a patient with pain related to the maxillary sinus region had sensitivity of 0.82, a specificity of 0.57, a positive predictive value of 0.68 and a negative predictive value of 0.75, and was diagnostically superior to the clinical examination. The investigation also confirms that this disease is most likely overdiagnosed in general practice.
authors.affiliation: Aalborg Sygehus.
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rosborg
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Lund
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001799:Blood Sedimentation; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015523:Maxillary Sinusitis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D002097:C-Reactive Protein
vernacular_title: Klinisk kriterium for sinuitis maxillaris acuta i almen praksis.