[Investigations on not cell-bound lipids in the pathologic maxillary sinus (author's transl)].

Lipids can be found sporadically in the maxillary sinus especially in connection with chronic sinusitis. Thus, the occurence of cholesterol is known for decades. Nevertheless most of the lipids in the excretions of maxillary sinus are unknown or less investigated still today. It may be that there is a lack of simple analytical methods. The intention of this paper is to demonstrate early results with TLC-separation and determination of lipids in the maxillary sinus excretions during sinusitis. The samples were collected from patients of the HNO-Klinik Würzburg in connection with a therapeutic rinsing of the sinus. The effluent was concentrated and then separated into three fractions by ultracentrifugation: 1. The sediment, consisting of cells and some other undefined organic material. 2. A supernatant clear solution, containing inorganic material, proteins, amino-acids, lipids... 3. Sporadically a very thin layer on the surface of the clear solution. Since fraction 3, which contains lipids too, could not be found each time, our attention was directed on the lipids of the clear solution, where most of these substances are attached to proteins. As well as in the sediment we found in the clear solution cholesterol, free fatty acids, triglycerides and very seldom cholesterol-esters. The concentration of cholesterol is nearly the same as that of free fatty acids. The frequency of occurrence of lipids is considerable which prevents us until now to correlate the lipid-content to some features of diagnosis, prognosis and therapy.