Required Instrument
- Head light.
Examination Technique
- For all examinations of the nose, the patient sits on a chair which provides adequate back support.
- Sit on a height-adjustable stool beside or in front of the patient.
- Your eyes should be at the same height as the patient’s nose.
Procedure
- For the examination of the maxillary sinus, place your thumb on the cheekbone.
- Subsequently, move your thumb to just below the cheekbone and apply pressure [Figure 25].
- Ask the patient if this is painful and whether any existing pain becomes worse.
Figure 25
- For palpation of the ethmoidal sinus, place your index finger in the medial angle of the eye against the roof of the eye socket [Figure 26] and apply pressure.
- Ask the patient if this is painful or whether any existing pain becomes worse.
Figure 26
- Percuss the frontal sinuses by tapping with the index or middle finger on the area above the medial angle of the eyes [Figure 27].
- Again, ask the patient if this is painful or whether any existing pain becomes worse.
Figure 27
- Start with the least painful side and examine the (more) painful side in the same manner.
