THE EFFICACY OF OXYMETAZOLINE ADMINISTERED WITH A NASAL BELLOWS CONTAINER AND COMBINED WITH ORAL PHENOXYMETHYL-PENICILLIN IN THE TREATMENT OF ACUTE MAXILLARY SINUSITIS

The efficacy of a new administration form of oxymetazoline, a nasal be llows container, was investigated in two separate studies by means of a combined treatment with phenoxymethyl-penicillin for acute maxillary sinusitis. In the first study (study 1), oxymetazoline administered w ith a bellows (OXBE) was compared both with a placebo bellows (PLBE) a s well as with oxymetazoline and placebo administered with a conventio nal nasal spray (OXSP respective PLSP) in 73 patients. In the second s tudy (study 2), OXBE was compared only with PLBE in 48 patients. Objec tive evaluation was made by comparing the radiographical improvement i n conventional plain sinus X-ray images. A scoring system correspondin g to the outcome of antral irrigation was used for evaluating the X-ra y pictures. Subjective symptoms; nasal stuffiness and pain, were asses sed by registrations on visual analogue scales. Neither with regard to radiographical improvement nor to decrease in subjective symptoms cou ld any significant differences be found between the different treatmen t modes. Oxymetazoline administered with a nasal bellows thus did not accelerate the rate of healing of acute maxillary sinusitis in these t wo studies. It is inferred from these results that decongestion of the sinus ostia is not of primary importance for the course of healing of a manifest acute sinusitis.