Annals of Saudi medicine
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Annals of Saudi medicine · Jan 2008
Comparative StudyAllergic fungal sinusitis: radiological and microbiological features of 59 cases.
Allergic fungal sinusitis (AFS) is a relatively newly recognized entity consisting of a pansinusitis with allergic mucinous infiltrates in all involved sinuses. Historically mistaken for a paranasal sinus tumor, AFS is believed to be an allergic reaction to aerolized environmental fungi, usually of dematiaceous and Aspergillus species, in an immunocompetent host. We determined the occurrence of AFS in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) to identify accurate preoperative parameters for AFS, as well as to identify the common fungi causing AFS in Saudi Arabia. ⋯ AFS has been an underdiagnosed clinical entity. Only increased awareness among physicians of fungal involvement will increase accuracy of diagnosis.