Cystic fibrosis: involvement of the ear, nose, and paranasal sinuses.

Twenty-six patients with cystic fibrosis all exhibited disease of the paranasal sinuses, 
consisting of opacification of the maxillary sinuses either alone or as 
part of a parasinusitis. Symptoms of sinusitis seldom occurred and treatment 
was not generally required. Agenesis or delayed development of frontal sinuses 
was also seen in the majority of patients. Nasal polyps occurred 
in 27% of the patients, all of whom were over five 
years of age. Excluding those patients under five years of age, 
none of whom had polyps, the incidence was 36%. In general, 
polyps were not observed in those patients with severe disease. Mild 
degrees of conductive hearing loss were noted in the younger age 
groups especially, but no instance of severe hearing loss or nerve 
conduction disturbance was encountered. Such mild degrees of hearing loss may 
merely reflect the application of standards too stringent for this age 
group. Throat and nose cultures on 26 patients revealed pseudomonas aeruginosa 
in eighteen cases, reflecting the flora of the tracheobronchial tree. Other 
organisms were encountered on an unpredictable basis with findings consistent with 
those anticipated in this age group of patients. 