Microbiology of middle meatus in chronic rhinosinusitis.

Background: Nasal endoscopy allows the collection of middle meatus secretion samples and is an alternative method for determining microorganisms in rhinosinusitis. This study assessed endoscopically collected middle meatus secretions in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and compared those findings with ipsilateral maxillary sinus aspirates and microbiological data of healthy individuals.

Methods: Middle meatus samples were collected from 114 CRS patients for aerobic, anaerobic, and fungal cultures; maxillary sinus secretions were collected from 13 of these patients.