Q: I am a 30 years old male. I have been suffering from sinusitis for over 15 years. I have undergone a DNS (left) surgery, last year. However I am again having the same symptoms nine months after my surgery, viz. nasal congestion, pain in left forehead, below the left eye and heaviness in left side. Occasionally, I also feel a kind of a pressure in the left side, which extends right to the left ear. Recently, I went for a CT scan for the same. The results indicate evidence of mucosal thickening in maxillary, ethmoid sinuses on both sides and sphenoid, frontal sinuses on the left. The osteomeatal complex is patent bilaterally. There is no evidence of pressure deossification of superior and middle turbinate on either side. Inferior nasal turbinate hypertrophy is seen on the left. The nasal septum is in central position. The report also says features suggestive of pansinusitis. Could you please explain what this means?

A:Your symptoms and the findings of your CT scan strongly suggest that you are suffering from sinusitis, i.e., inflammation within the sinuses. This is worse on the left side. Surgery for DNS (deviated nasal septum) will correct only the deviated septum. This might be enough in some patients with sinusitis, but in others, additional sinus surgery may be required - particularly if the response to prolonged medication for sinusitis is not favourable. I suggest you meet your ENT surgeon. You may need a course of medication in the first instance. If that fails, you may need endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS).