title: Elimination of pain improves specificity of clinical diagnostic criteria for adult chronic rhinosinusitis.
abstract: Determine whether the elimination of pain improves accuracy of clinical diagnostic criteria for adult chronic rhinosinusitis.
  
  
  
  Retrospective cohort study.
  
  
  
  History, symptoms, nasal endoscopy, and computed tomography (CT) results were analyzed for 1,186 adults referred to an academic otolaryngology clinic with presumptive diagnosis of chronic rhinosinusitis. Clinical diagnosis was rendered using the 1997 Rhinosinusitis Taskforce (RSTF) Guidelines and a modified version eliminating facial pain, ear pain, dental pain, and headache.
  
  
  
  Four hundred seventy-nine subjects (40%) met inclusion criteria. Among subjects positive by RSTF guidelines, 45% lacked objective evidence of sinonasal inflammation by CT, 48% by endoscopy, and 34% by either modality. Applying modified RSTF diagnostic criteria, 39% lacked sinonasal inflammation by CT, 38% by endoscopy, and 24% by either modality. Using either abnormal CT or endoscopy as the reference standard, modified diagnostic criteria yielded a statistically significant increase in specificity from 37.1% to 65.1%, with a nonsignificant decrease in sensitivity from 79.2% to 70.3%. Analysis of comorbidities revealed temporomandibular joint disorder, chronic cervical pain, depression/anxiety, and psychiatric medication use to be negatively associated with objective inflammation on CT or endoscopy.
  
  
  
  Clinical diagnostic criteria overestimate the prevalence of chronic rhinosinusitis. Removing facial pain, ear pain, dental pain, and headache increased specificity without a concordant loss in sensitivity. Given the high prevalence of sinusitis, improved clinical diagnostic criteria may assist primary care providers in more accurately predicting the presence of inflammation, thereby reducing inappropriate antibiotic use or delayed referral for evaluation of primary headache syndromes.
  
  
  
  4. Laryngoscope, 127:1011-1016, 2017.
authors.affiliation: Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Scott D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Hirsch
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, Richmond, Virginia, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Evan R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Reiter
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, Richmond, Virginia, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Laurence J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: DiNardo
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, University of Chicago School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, Richmond, Virginia, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Theodore A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Schuman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015897:Comorbidity; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004433:Earache / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004724:Endoscopy; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006261:Headache / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
keywords: Chronic sinusitis; clinical symptoms; computed tomography; diagnosis; facial pain