Bandolier

A 37 year old businessman who wants effective treatment for his neck that remains stiff and sore 3 months after a minor car accident A 15 year old boy with fatigue and a recent diagnosis of glandular fever (infectious mononucleosis) who wonders if he will be well enough for a skiing holiday in 4 weeks A 45 year old woman who wonders if her facial pain might be sinusitis. The Bandolier article on diagnosing acute sinusitis is a succinct summary of a prospective study with sufficient detail to indicate that the key elements for a valid evaluation of a diagnostic test were addressed. 3 Only 4 features (pus in nasal cavity, purulent rhinorrhea, "double-sickening" [defined as the presence of 2 phases of the illness history], and an erythrocyte sedimentation rate of >10 mm/h) were associated with acute sinusitis.