Perplexed And Disturbed By CT Scan Report!

[beeinformed]

Hi Everyone!

I had seen my ent specialist on Jan. 5th because of several symptoms I was experiencing. One of those symptoms was sinus pain above my eyes and below them as well as a constant nasal drip. After the doctor did a nasal endoscopy, he said that it looked okay. He then suggested I have a ct scan of my sinuses done to confirm any sinus involvement and after the procedure was done, he said the ct scan showed some congestion and nothing more.

Today, I received a copy of the ct scan report (which was reviewed by a radiologist) and the report said that I have "extensive pan-sinusitis as described in the report". The radiologist mentioned a number of times in the report, the term "mucosal thickening", as well as other terms such as "opacified".

I was completely baffled when I received this report because my ent doc said that the ct scan seemed to show some congestion and basically nothing else. I would like to add that my ent doc has extensive experience of inflammatory diseases affecting the ear,nose and throat (especially the latter two).

I am very perplexed and disturbed about my ent doc's interpretation of the ct scan (some congestion) and the interpretation by the radiologist (extensive pan-sinusitis) and would appreciate any explanations or insights that you can give me. Thanks!

[pberggren1]

I would give your ENT a shout and discuss this with him. What treatment did he prescribe or recommend for this congestion that may be causing the pain?

[JanW]

Don't know about the rest but I had the thickening as well, and my report said "as seen in Wegener's Granulomatosis." That started my journey towards a dx.

Could it be that the scan is not unusual for your disease state and that's why the doc didn't mention it. Like when my doc says "nose doesn't look bad -- for a Wegener's patient."

Definitely talk to your doc, though.

[Sangye]

Pan-sinusitis just means inflammation of the sinuses.

Normally the sinuses are filled with air, which shows up as black on a CT. Fluid such as thick mucous looks opaque. So congested sinuses would look opaque--aka opacified.

Mucosal thickening can occur with any sinus inflammation. It isn't exclusive to Wegs. For example, it's common in people with chronic sinus infections.

Still, I would ask your doctor to explain the report to you. It's important for you to know.

[KathyB]

Like you, beeinformed, I read every word of the reports. Not having a medical background, I google words I don't know or comments I don't understand. I usually find out the technical terms used aren't red flags, just medical jargon or terminology. Funny, my docs are now explaining reports differently knowing I look everything up. It helps ease my fears as I read, look up terms, and understand! My last one mentioned a scoliosis (which I've known about since childhood) and some degenerative disc issues. These were relative to aging. I just had to ask my doc for clarification and tried not to stew over it! Sounds like you are a good advocate for yourself!! Great!!

KB