A comparative study on quadrupedal and non-quadrupedal head position on recovery from chronic maxillary sinusitis in a tertiary hospital of Rohtas district, Bihar, India

Abstract

Background: Chronic rhino-sinusitis (CRS) is diagnosed in cases when symptoms are present for more than 12 weeks. Rhino-sinusitis manifests itself with a sudden onset of two or more symptoms, one of which is either nasal blockage or nasal discharge (anterior or posterior nasal drip). Position of maxillary ostia is high on their supero-medial walls, which may be suboptimal for natural drainage. Human maxillary sinuses exhibit better passive drainage through their ostia when tilted anteriorly to mimic a quadrupedal head position. Objective of this study is to evaluate the result and advantage of both quadrupedal and non-quadrupedal head position on recovery on CRS.

Methods: This study consists of 100 patients which consists of group 1 (quadrupedal) and group 2 (non-quadrupedal head position), of CMS in whom assess the result based on the overall Quality of Life and CT scan findings after 6 weeks treatment with medical treatment.  

Results: The significant difference between the two groups was the group 1, had more males as compared with group 2.The scoring form used for CT scans reflected the Lund-Mackay staging system. Each maxillary sinus was scored separately and total scores were determined for right and left sides. No statistically significant differences in the scores were noted between the 2 groups at baseline and there were significant differences after 6 weeks of treatment.

Conclusions: CRS significantly impacts patients quality of life. From an analysis of quality of life and CT score, this study confirmed that quadrupedal head position significantly improved recovery from CMS. This study thus indicated that quadrupedal head position can be valuable adjuvant therapy for patients with CMS.