Association of Radiological Evidence of Frontal Sinus Disease with the Presence of Frontal Pain

Abstract

Background Rhinosinusitis is a common cause of frontal pain. We evaluated the relationship between frontal pain and the type and degree of frontal sinus disease in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) patients. Methods Inclusion criteria were presence of frontal sinusitis or frontal recess obstruction on computed tomography scan. Office notes and operative reports were reviewed to determine the presence and location of frontal pain and categorization of sinus disease. Results Two-hundred seven patients were identified with frontal recess obstruction and/or frontal sinus disease. Thirty-one of 37 frontal mucocele patients (84%) had frontal pain. Twenty of 70 polyp patients (29%) had frontal pain, with only 7 of 38 patients (18%) with complete frontal opacification having pain. In patients with CRS without polyps or mucocele, 59 of 100 (59%) had frontal pain, with 21 of 38 (55%) with complete opacification having pain. This difference between the distribution of frontal pain was significant (p < 0.005) among the mucocele, polyp, and nonpolypoid CRS groups. Additionally, among nonmucocele CRS groups exhibiting complete opacification, there was a significant difference in proportion of patients exhibiting frontal pain (p < 0.005). When the nonmucocele groups (i.e., polypoid and nonpolypoid CRS patients) were combined and stratified for disease extent, a difference in the distribution of frontal pain was found (p < 0.025), with the mild-to-moderate thickening group showing the highest proportion of pain. Conclusion Frontal pain was more common in nonpolypoid CRS patients than in polyp patients. Furthermore, in nonmucocele CRS, patients with mild-to-moderate thickening exhibited more frontal pain.