Negative predictive value of normal nasal endoscopy for sinus disease as a cause of isolated facial pain

Clinical Features and Headache Diagnoses in Patients With Chief Complaint of Craniofacial Pain

OBJECTIVES

Investigate the use of nasal endoscopy, sinus imaging, and neurologic evaluation in patients presenting to a rhinologist primarily for craniofacial pain.

METHODS

This was a retrospective analysis of consecutive outpatients presenting to a rhinologist between 2016 and 2019 with chief complaints of craniofacial pain with or without other sinonasal symptoms, who were then referred to and evaluated by headache specialists. Data analyzed included sinusitis symptoms, Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) scores (and facial pain subscores), pain location, nasal endoscopy, computed tomography (CT) findings, and headache diagnoses made by headache specialists.

RESULTS

Of the 134 patients with prominent craniofacial pain, the majority of patients were diagnosed with migraine (50%) or tension-type (22%) headache, followed by multiple other non-sinogenic headache disorders. Approximately 5% of patients had headaches attributed to sinusitis. Amongst all patients, 90% had negative nasal endoscopies. Patients with negative endoscopies were significantly less likely to report smell loss (P = .003) compared to those with positive endoscopies. Poor agreement was demonstrated between self-reported pain locations and sinus findings on CT (kappa values < 0.20). Negative nasal endoscopy showed high concurrence with negative CT findings (80%-97%).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients presenting with chief complaints of craniofacial pain generally met criteria for various non-sinogenic headache disorders. Nasal endoscopy was negative in 90% of patients, and CT demonstrated poor agreement with pain locations. Nasal endoscopy and CT shared high concurrence rates for negative sinus findings. The value of nasal endoscopy over sinus imaging in craniofacial pain evaluation should be explored in future studies.

Prospective three-year follow up of a cohort study of 240 patients with chronic facial pain

Background:

Patients often present with facial pain ascribed to sinusitis, despite normal nasal endoscopy and sinus computed tomography. Facial pain is increasingly recognised to be of neurological origin.

Method:

A cohort of 240 patients with chronic facial pain was followed up for 36 months at an otolaryngological practice in Malta. The types of facial pain were classified according to International Headache Classification criteria. The body mass index, occupation and educational level of patients were compared with the general population.

Results:

Tension-type mid-facial pain and facial migraine without aura were the most common types of chronic facial pain. The sites of pain, symptoms, treatment and outcomes for these principal pain types are discussed. Patients with mid-facial pain were treated with low-dose amitriptyline for eight weeks. After three years, nearly half of the patients were symptom free, and in a third the pain changed from being chronic to being episodic. The treatment of patients with facial migraine was more varied but the length of time until recurrence of pain was similar.

Conclusion:

The most effective long-term treatments for tension-type mid-facial pain and facial migraine were low-dose amitriptyline and low-dose amitriptyline and triptans, respectively.