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Evaluation of Paranasal Sinus Mucosa in Coal Worker's Pneumoconiosis
A Computed Tomographic Study
Hüseyin Özdemir, MD;
Remzi Altin, MD;
Kamran Mahmutyazicio lu, MD;
Levent Kart, MD;
Lokman Uzun, MD;
Ahmet Savranlar, MD;
Halit Davçanci, MD;
Sadi Gündodu, MD
Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2004;130:1052-1055.
Objective To evaluate by computed tomographic scanning the paranasal mucosal changes of coal workers with and without pneumoconiosis.
Methods Examination of images and scores from paranasal computed tomographic scans. The study participants were 26 coal workers with pneumoconiosis, 29 coal workers without pneumoconiosis, and 20 controls. All were men. The extent and patterns of inflamatory paranasal sinus disease were evaluated on computed tomographic scans by 2 radiologists using the terminology and definitions of Newman and associates.
Results Interobserver agreement for the presence of abnormalities was from good to excellent ( , 0.63-0.89). The mucosal scores of individuals and groups were higher for coal workers than for control subjects. Both scores were significantly higher in the pneumoconiosis group than in the 2 other groups.
Conclusions This study shows that paranasal sinuses were affected more severely in coal workers than in control subjects. In coal workers with pneumoconiosis, the affection was most severe. The relationship between coal dust exposure and paranasal mucosal changes needs further study.
From the Departments of Radiology (Drs Özdemir, Mahmutyaziciolu, Savranlar, Davçanci, and Gündodu), Pulmonary Medicine (Drs Altin and Kart), and Otorhinolaryngology (Dr Uzun), School of Medicine, Zonguldak Karaelmas University, Kozlu, Zonguldak, Turkey. The authors have no relevant financial interest in this article.
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