INCIDENTAL PARANASAL SINUS INFLAMMATORY CHANGES IN A BRITISH POPULATION

A retrospective study was carried out to determine the prevalence of a bnormality in the paranasal sinuses in a British population having mag netic resonance imaging (MRI) scans for neurological signs and symptom s. The T2-weighted scans of 130 patients were studied. Abnormalities i n the paranasal sinuses show as high signal on the T2-weighted scans a nd thus are clearly seen. Abnormalities included mucosal thickening, f luid levels, sinus opacification and retention cysts/polyps. Of the pa tients studied, 49.2 per cent showed one or more abnormality. Mucosal thickening was the most common abnormality noted and the ethmoid sinus es the most commonly affected.