Chemotactic properties of retained maxillary sinus secretions.

The chemotactic activity of 82 aspirated maxillary sinus secretions obtained from 32 sinuses in 29 patients was assayed with a modified Boyden chamber technique. The secretions were also analysed with respect to the proteolytic activity according to a modification of a technique described by Moroz. In only 3 of 24 sinus secretions obtained from untreated patients with purulent or mucopurulent sinusitis, but in 5 of 8 serous secretions from untreated patients with serous sinusitis a chemotactic activity exceeding random migration was found. A high proteolytic activity was found to be incompatible with a high chemotactic activity. Regarding mucopurulent and purulent sinusitis, treatment by repeated antral aspiration resulted in an increase of the proportion of chemotactically active secretions and a decrease of the proteolytic activity. Repeated antral aspirations in patients with serous sinusitis resulted in less uniform changes of the chemotactic activity.