title: Negative predictive value of normal nasal endoscopy for sinus disease as a cause of isolated facial pain.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the negative predictive value of normal nasal endoscopy in assessing paranasal sinus disease as the cause of isolated facial pain in the sinus regions.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study group comprised 42 consecutive adult patients presenting with the isolated symptom of facial pain, and a negative nasal endoscopy. Patients underwent sinus computed tomography to determine whether radiographic findings indicated a sinugenic aetiology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients comprised 27 women and 15 men, with a median age of 38 years. Twenty patients had unilateral pain, 33 per cent had sinus radiographic findings that might explain their facial pain, and 10 per cent had imaging demonstrating mucosal disease in one or more sinuses correlating with the location of the facial pain. Thirty-one per cent had anatomical radiographic findings that could potentially obstruct the osteomeatal unit.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Normal nasal endoscopy had a negative predictive value of 67 per cent in excluding a sinugenic cause of isolated facial pain, if radiographically determined anatomical factors and mucosal disease were both included as positive findings; this rose to more than 90 per cent if only those patients with mucosal sinus disease were considered as true positive patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA.
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Kieff
authors.forename: N Y
authors.initials: NY
authors.lastname: Busaba
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004724:Endoscopy; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D020773:Headache Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D010254:Paranasal Sinus Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D010256:Paranasal Sinuses / Q000002:abnormalities; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000175:diagnosis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult