Diseases of the Sinuses

The comprehensive nature of this text will appeal To many physicians, the study of sinus disease to a wide range of physicians including generalists, reflects a discipline only slightly less interesting otolaryngologists, and allergists. Family physi­ than a Johnson and Johnson gauze pad, a pursuit cians, internists, pediatricians, and allergists will followed by dilettanti and eccentric professors. To each profit from having a single source that pro­ others, it represents a subsection of an undefined vides an in-depth review of topics pertaining to discipline that crosses barriers of internal medi­ sinus diseases. The otolaryngologist will benefit cine, pediatrics, allergy, chest disease, and oto­ from having a single text that provides a detailed laryngology. To patients, sinus problems are discussion of the many ancillary medical problems synonymous with headaches and a chronic source of morbidity. Yet few physicians have been pre­ that influence sinus function and, therefore, surgi­ cal outcome. We hope that all readers will enjoy the pared, until recently, to do much more than pre­ international choice of authors whose topics have scribe antibiotics, intranasal steroids, antihistamines, been purposely allowed to overlap in an effort to and commiserate for the misery involved. Fortu­ provide the broadest possible scope of informa­ nately, this picture shows significant signs of tion. We expect Diseases of the Sinuses to serve as impending remission. The disciplines of clinical immunology, allergy, and otolaryngology have the foundation of an ever-stronger ongoing effort to combat sinus disease.