The Clinical Significance of Lund-Mackay CT Staging System in Assessing the Severity of Chronic Rhinosinusitis

Rhyoo, Chan; Jung, Min Kyo; Lee, Joo Hyung

Abstract

Backgrounds and Objectives : Although the sinus CT (computed tomography) scan has emerged as the preferred method for assessing the extent of chronic rhinosinusitis, the relationship between sinus CT findings and symptom severity in chronic rhinosinusitis has not been established yet. The Lund-Mackay CT staging systems were known as one of the most prevalent methods in assessing the severity of chronic rhinosinusitis. We aimed to determine the relationship between the severity of the Lund- Mackay CT scores and symptom severity, and to determine the relationship between the laterality and symptom severity in chronic rhinosinusitis.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
108 patients who fit the eligiblity and exclusion criteria were evaluated. We scored each CT scan on the Lund-Mackay system and let the patients complete the questionnaires for the rhinosinusitis symptoms. The correlation between the CT scores and the severity of patients' symptoms was assessed. Then, we divided the patients into 4 groups according to the grades of CT scores. And in each group, we subgrouped them according to the CT score differences between the right and left sides. Statistical analyses of symptom scores between subgroups in each group were performed.
RESULTS
The CT scores graded by the Lund-Mackay system and symptom scores were correlated significantly (rho=0.365, p< or = 0.0001). According to the laterality of chronic rhinosinusitis, there were no statistically significant differences between CT scores and symptom scores in the subgroups of each group.
CONCLUSION
The CT score by the Lund-Mackay system was correlated with the patients-based reports of symptom severity regardless of the laterality of chronic rhinosinusitis. We therefore recommend that the Lund-Mackay system to be adopted as the standard method of measuring the extent of chronic rhinosinusitis.