title: Maxillary sinus infundibulum narrowing influences sinus abnormalities in spite of the presence or absence of allergy.
abstract: CONCLUSIONS
  Maxillary sinus abnormalities were demonstrated to be associated with maxillary sinus infundibulum narrowing as well as nasal airflow resistance secondary to nonspecific nasal inflammation.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  There is no consensus regarding the pathogenetic roles of allergy and anatomic variations in sinus mucosa abnormalities. We investigated the correlation between allergy and anatomic variations in sinus abnormalities in chronic rhinitis patients in the presence or absence of allergy.
  
  
  METHODS
  In all, 148 adult patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) and non-allergic rhinitis (NAR) were enrolled. Opacification of sinuses, the size of the maxillary sinus infundibulum, Haller cells, and concha bullosa were evaluated based on computed tomography (CT) images. Simultaneously, nasal airflow resistance was measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The AR group comprising 105 patients showed maxillary sinus opacification in 45 patients. In the NAR group including 43 patients, soft tissue opacification was observed in 13 patients. There was no significant difference in the incidence of sinus opacification between the AR and NAR groups. Both nasal resistance and the infundibulum size in both the AR and NAR groups with sinus opacification showed significant differences from those without sinus abnormalities. The presence of concha bullosa influenced the sinus opacification in both the AR and NAR groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Noritsugu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kase
authors.forename: Hirotomo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Homma
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kusunoki
authors.forename: Katushisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ikeda
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008443:Maxillary Sinus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000276:immunology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult