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Sinusitis Quiz

Sinuses are empty cavities within your cheek bones, around your eyes and behind your nose. Their main job is to warm, moisten and filter air in your nasal cavity. If your stuffy nose and cough last longer than 10-14 days or worsens after 7-10 days, you may have more than a cold. Rhinosinusitis is a swelling of one or more of your nasal sinuses and nasal passages. It is often called sinusitis or a sinus infection. Take this quiz to test your knowledge about sinusitis.

Question 1
Which imaging study is the most appropriate for the diagnosis of chronic sinusitis?
MRI
CT scan
X-ray
Ultrasound of the sinusitis

CT scan. CT is the most appropriate study for the diagnosis. An X-ray can be used, but it is of low sensitivity.

Question 2
What percent of adult acute viral rhinitis/sinusitis develops into acute bacterial sinusitis?
0.5-2%
10-20%
20-30%
40-50%

0.5-2%. Only 0.5-2% of acute viral rhinitis/sinusitis develops into acute bacterial sinusitis. Antibiotics should not be used for acute viral rhinitis/sinusitis.

Question 3
Which is not an appropriate management of uncomplicated acute bacterial sinusitis?
Oral antibiotics
Intranasal steroid spray
Saline irrigation
Intravenous or intramuscular antibiotics

Intravenous or intramuscular antibiotics. Intravenous antibiotic should be reserved for severe bacterial infection or for acute bacterial sinusitis that is associated with a related complication such as orbital or cranial infection. Oral antibiotics, intranasal steroid sprays and saline irrigation can lessen the length of the acute bacterial sinusitis.

Question 4
Which method is the most definitive method to detect the presence of nasal polyps?
CT scan of the sinus
MRI of the sinus
Nasal endoscopy
Anterior rhinoscopy

Nasal endoscopy. Imaging such as a CT scan cannot definitively detect nasal polyps. Visual confirmation by nasal endoscopy needs to be done to definitively diagnose nasal polyps.

Question 5
True or False: There are several FDA-approved medications for the treatment of chronic sinusitis without nasal polyps.
True
False

False. There are no FDA-approved treatments for chronic sinusitis without nasal polyps. However recently there has been several FDA-approvals for the treatment of nasal polyps.

Question 6
If a patient has a unilateral sinus mass or involvement, the diagnosis is less likely to be:
Nasal polyps
Mucocele
Allergic fungal sinusitis
Sinus or nasal tumor

Nasal polyps. Nasal polyps are more commonly bilateral, but other conditions are more often unilateral.

Question 7
If a patient has a one-sided clear runny nose without significant other seasonal allergy symptoms such as sneezing and itch/watery eyes, what should the doctors be concerned about?
Allergic rhinitis
Cold
Gustatory rhinitis
Cerebrospinal fluid leakage

Cerebrospinal fluid leakage. A patient with a history of a unilateral clear rhinorrhea needs to be evaluated for cerebrospinal fluid leak. Beta-2 transferrin is the best test to evaluate and confirm for cerebrospinal fluid.

You answered   questions correctly.

 

Learn more about sinusitis symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and management.