[Maxillary sinusitis in intensive care patients].

Fever of unknown origin is a major diagnostic problem in traumatologic postoperative intensive care medicine. Even when other causes of fever (wound infection, pneumonia, intravenous catheter contamination) have been ruled out, purulent maxillary sinusitis is rarely considered as the initial focus. The maxillary sinuses of 46 patients admitted to a postoperative intensive care unit were examined using a mobile "A-Scan" ultrasonic scanner. Follow-up examinations were performed on a regular basis. As early as on the 5th day of treatment, the initially, most often nasotracheally intubated and artificially ventilated patients exhibited a high frequency of pathological ultrasonic results, whereas only 10 of the 46 patients within the study demonstrated normal findings throughout the follow-up examinations. As a rule, bilateral involvement was observed. When findings were initially unilateral, the nasally intubated side was most often affected. Early extubation, partial mobilisation and/or administration of antibiotics from the first day of treatment onwards did not prevent the occurrence of pathologic ultrasonic results. Fever and leucocyte count were found to be elevated to a higher level in patients with purulent sinusitis. Thus, affection of the maxillary sinuses appears to be a frequent accompanying disease in intensive care patients, and should therefore always be taken into consideration as the initial focus of fever of unknown origin.