Patient's question:
How to treat pediatric sinusitis?Doctor's answer:
Oral anti-inflammatory drugs are taken, and a 1% mixture of ephedrine and furacilin is administered intranasally. At the same time, treatments such as positional drainage and negative pressure replacement are applied. Regardless of the method used, early and active treatment is essential.Children with acute sinusitis are primarily treated conservatively. Regardless of whether complications are present, adequate and effective antibiotics or sulfonamide drugs should be administered actively. Local medications focus on ventilation and drainage. A 0.5%–1% ephedrine physiological saline spray or drops can be used. Nasal drops should be avoided in young children to prevent damage to the cilia of the nasal mucosal epithelium, which could lead to drug-induced rhinitis. Local heat application and nasal steam inhalation may also be performed. In some cases, acute sinusitis in children resolves on its own as the underlying disease heals.
The treatment of chronic sinusitis in children can involve multiple methods. Vasoconstrictors can be administered intranasally, and systemic antiallergic drugs may be used if allergic factors are present. Children aged 6 and older with chronic sinusitis may undergo negative pressure replacement therapy. For chronic sinusitis with enlarged palatine tonsils, tonsillectomy combined with adenoidectomy should be performed early. For persistent pediatric sinusitis, nasal septum correction, inferior turbinate intranasal fenestration, or nasal polypectomy may be considered under strict indications. For chronic maxillary sinusitis that does not improve with treatment, maxillary sinus puncture and irrigation followed by the injection of antimicrobial drugs into the sinus are an effective method. However, this procedure should be performed with caution to avoid complications, and puncture should be conducted under general anesthesia. To avoid repeated general anesthesia and punctures, after the first puncture yields pus, a plastic tube can be left in place for maxillary sinus irrigation, i.e.,