This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citing articles on ISI (15)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Related article  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • General Rhinology  • Paranasal Sinus Disease  • Alert me on articles by topic

Quantification Techniques

Neil Bhattacharyya, MD; Darshan K. Vyas, MD; Frank P. Fechner, MD; Richard E. Gliklich, MD; Ralph Metson, MD

Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2001;127:1102-1105.

Objective  To ascertain the reliability of a proposed method for quantifying tissue eosinophilia in sinus mucosa.

Design  Prospective cohort study.

Interventions and Outcome Measures  Pathology slides from patients undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis were independently assessed by 2 reviewers. Using a proposed systematic counting method, the degree of tissue eosinophilia was quantified. Disease severity was assessed by computed tomographic (CT) staging. Intrarater, interrater, and intrapatient reliability was determined using correlational reliability analysis. The degree of correlation between tissue eosinophilia and CT stage was determined.

Results  One hundred thirty-two slides from 65 patients were reviewed. The mean (SD) eosinophil density was 23.4 (37.2) eosinophils per high-power field. Only 12 patients (18%) had no eosinophils on histopathologic analysis. Strong intrarater (r0.91 for each rater, P<.001) and interrater reliability (r0.82 between raters, P<.001) was noted for the quantification method. A moderate degree of correlation was found between CT scan stage and degree of tissue eosinophilia (Spearman = 0.62, P<.001).

Conclusions  The proposed method for quantifying tissue eosinophilia in sinus mucosa is reliable and valid. A relatively strong correlation exists between CT scan stage and tissue eosinophilia in chronic rhinosinusitis.

From the Division of Otolaryngology, Brigham and Women's Hospital (Dr Bhattacharyya), Department of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (Drs Vyas, Fechner, Gliklich, and Metson), and Department of Otology and Laryngology, Harvard Medical School (Drs Bhattacharyya, Vyas, Fechner, Gliklich, and Metson), Boston, Mass.

RELATED ARTICLE

Archives of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery Reader's Choice: Continuing Medical Education
Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2001;127(9):1146-1148.
FULL TEXT