Diagnosis,treatment and medical evaluation of cyst in nasal sinus of pilots

Objective To sum up the principles of diagnosis,treatment and medical evaluation of cyst in nasal sinus（CNS）of pilots and its mechanism. Methods Data about CNS obtained from 46 pilots were summarized and classified. Results Mucosa cyst,mucous cyst,and dentigerous cyst were found in 44,1,and 1 pilots,respectively.Maxillary sinus cyst,sphenoid sinus cyst,ethmoid sinus cyst,frontal sinus cyst,and sphenoid sinus cyst were found in 39,3,1,1,1 and 1 pilots,respectively.Class I of CNS with symptoms on ground or detected at health examination was found in 37 pilots,and class II of CNS with no symptoms on ground but with symptoms of secondary barotraumas in flying was found in 9 pilots.Sixteen pilots underwent surgery and 30 were observed with no treatment.Forty-one pilots were qualified to continue their flying and 5 were permanently grounded（4 had class II of CNS）. Conclusion Barotrauma due to repeated rising and falling during flying may be one of the mechanisms underlying CNS in pilots.Class II of CNS is an important cause of medical ground.