Symptoms of rhinosinusitis include a blocked nose, nasal discharge and facial pain.

Thousands of euro are being spent unnecessarily at Mater Dei Hospital on scans for patients suffering from rhinosinusitis since the nasal condition can often be diagnosed through its symptoms, according to a study.

Researchers Stephan Grech, Richard McKearney and Herman Borg-Xuereb looked into the cost to the health system from the use of X-rays and CT scans in managing rhinosinusitis – the inflammation of the nasal passages and sinus cavities.

Symptoms include a blocked nose, nasal discharge and facial pain.

The study, published in the Malta Medical Journal, found that in 2009 almost €104,000 were spent at the hospital on plain radiographs, or X-rays, that cost €77 each, and CT scans, that cost €350 each.

“A proportion of this amount may have been spent unnecessarily. Judicious use of imaging requests while following clinical guidelines is required to save money and minimise patient exposure to ionising radiation,” the study concludes.

It points out that CT scans expose patients to harmful radiation that are equivalent to that emitted by 55 chest X-rays.

A proportion of this amount may have been spent unnecessarily

The researchers looked at the scans carried out at Mater Dei Hospital throughout a year: 205 CT scans and 113 plain radiographs.

The majority, 73 per cent, were requested by ENT consultants while the rest were emergency requests.

About five per cent were carried out on children under 10.

The researchers found the diagnosis of rhinosinusitus was a clinical one, that is, based on symptoms.

Due to the low sensitivity and specificity of X-rays their use in the diag-nosis of rhinosinusitis was no long-er recommended.

Although more sensitive, the CT findings were relatively non-specific and should not be used routinely as a primary diagnostic step unless there were worrying clinical features.

The researchers recommended that patients with rhinosinusitis should be diagnosed clinically without the use of such scans – except when absolut-ely necessary.

This would lead to less exposure to radiation and significant savings.

The €104,000 spent yearly did not take into account hidden expenses such as the staff time involved or the potential gain in using these resources for the benefit of other patients.

They pointed out that the current waiting time for a routine CT scan ranged between two to three months.