Chronic Maxillary Sinusitis in Children

There has been a considerable volume of literature on the subject of sinusitis in childhood during the past 30 years; much of it deals with the results obtained in routine proof puncture or antral lavage. For example, Mollison and Kendall (1922) found evidence of sinus infection in 22% of 102 routine tonsil and adenoid cases. Crooks and Signy (1936) reported 24 positive proof punctures in 100 routine tonsil and adenoid cases, while Gerrie (1939) puts the percentage at 29 in 300 such patients. Carrying this further, we find that Carmack (1931) reports positive findings in 14-2% of a series of 211 tonsil and adenoid cases from which he had excluded all known sinusitic and allergic patients. There are two reports of proof puncture results in known or suspected sinus cases. Crooks (1947) found evidence of infection in 59-6% of 570 cases with opaque antra seen during 1946, while Walker (1947) obtained positive findings in 76 % of 442 cases with sufficient signs and symptoms to warrant puncture out of 1,779 tonsil and adenoid patients. Lastly, Ebbs (1938) has obtained post-mortem evidence of sinus infection in 30-6% of 496 routine necropsies.