title: Computed tomography scans as an objective measure of disease severity in chronic rhinosinusitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A truly objective method of measuring disease severity in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) has only recently existed. We evaluated computed tomography (CT) scans of CRS patients using this novel objective 3D computerized system and compared results with a novel 2D computerized analysis of a single coronal slice through the osteomeatal complex (OMC) and subjective methods including Lund-Mackay and Zinreich's modified Lund-Mackay.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective multicenter study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two academic tertiary referral centers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-six adults with a diagnosis of CRS underwent CT examination and received an intramuscular triamcinolone injection, dosage weight dependent, followed by CT scan 4 to 5 weeks later. Recruitment lasted 21 months. Scans were evaluated with all 4 scoring methods over 5 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Lin's concordance class correlation (CCC) of the OMC method revealed the best correlation to the 3D volumetric computerized values (0.915), followed by the Zinreich (0.904) and Lund-Mackay methods (0.824). Posttreatment results demonstrated that both the OMC (0.824) and Zinreich's (0.778) methods had strong agreement with the 3D volumetric methods and were very sensitive to change, whereas the Lund-Mackay (0.545) had only moderate agreement.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Computerized CT analysis provides the most comprehensive, objective, and reproducible method of measuring disease severity and is very sensitive to change induced by treatment intervention. A 2D coronal image through the OMC provides a valid, user-friendly method of assessing CRS and is representative of CRS severity in all sinuses. Zinreich's subjective method correlated well overall, but the Lund-Mackay method lagged behind in disease representation and sensitivity to change.
authors.affiliation: State University of New York at Buffalo, Department of Otolaryngology, Buffalo, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Micah M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Likness
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Pallanch
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Sherris
authors.forename: Hirohito
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kita
authors.forename: Terry L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Mashtare
authors.forename: Jens U
authors.initials: JU
authors.lastname: Ponikau
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: chronic rhinosinusitis; computed tomography; disease severity; objective; staging system; volumetric scoring