Bacteriology of chronic sinusitis after amoxicillin-clavulanate potassium therapy

The bacteriology of chronic sinusitis was studied after amoxicillin-clavula nate potassium therapy. Patients with chronic sinusitis were randomly divid ed into 2 groups. In the study group, 90 patients were given a a-week cours e of amoxicillin-clavulanate potassium before functional endoscopic sinus s urgery. In the control group, 113 patients did not take any antibiotics wit hin 2 weeks before the surgery. Swab specimens were taken from the maxillar y and ethmoid sinuses during surgery and sent for aerobic and anaerobic cul ture, In the study group, the culture rates of maxillary and ethmoid sinuse s were 45.6% and 28.9%, respectively. In the control group, the culture rat es of maxillary and ethmoid sinuses were 53.1% and 34.5%, respectively. The culture rates between the control group and the study group were not signi ficantly different, either for the maxillary sinus or the ethmoid sinus. Th is showed that treatment with amoxicillin-clavulanate potassium did not cha nge the bacteriology of chronic sinusitis.