WHAT IS THE BACTERIOLOGY OF CHRONIC SINUSITIS IN ADULTS

Purpose: Recent advances in imaging and endoscopy has increased our aw areness of chronic sinusitis. The teaching has been that chronic sinus itis is mainly caused by anaerobes; however, recent studies have found that the role of anaerobes is small, especially in children. Material s and Methods: A prospective study was conducted on 76 adults who fail ed medical treatment for chronic sinusitis and were scheduled for endo scopic sinus surgery. Specimens were obtained on all 76 patients at th e time of surgery and were sent for aerobic and anaerobic cultures. Re sults: Anaerobic organisms were isolated in 7.6% of the cases, and aer obes were isolated in 76.3% of the patients. The most common aerobic o rganism was the Staphylococcus species, whereby resistance to the most commonly used antibiotics was 21.7%. Conclusion: All past studies on the bacteriology in adults were made before the era of endoscopic sinu s surgery and the newer-generation antibiotics. According to our resul ts, it seems there is a change in trend in the bacteriology of chronic sinusitis in adults. (C) 1995 by W.B. Saunders Company