Histopathological observations in chronic maxillary sinusitis.

Biopsy samples from the maxillary sinus mucosa of patients with purulent, non-purulent and recurrent sinusitis were studied histologically and compared with those from a maxillary sinus of patients with no previous history of sinus disease on the side of sampling. Basement membrane thickening, atypical gland formation, goblet cell hyperplasia, mononuclear inflammatory cell infiltration and subepithelial oedema were observed in all groups irrespective of the appearance of the effusion. Although the inflammatory variables in selected areas of the mucosa seemed to show an increase in severity with the increasingly severe forms of sinusitis, neither the endoscopic mucosal appearance nor the nature of the sinus effusion corresponded to any specific histological pattern.