© 2000 Evidence-Based Medicine
Review: penicillin V or amoxicillin is better than placebo and equal to non-penicillins for acute maxillary sinusitis
Williams JW Jr, Aguilar C, Makela M, et al. Antimicrobial therapy for acute maxillary sinusitis. Cochrane Review, latest version 26 May 1999. In: the Cochrane Library. Oxford: Update Software.
QUESTION: Which antibiotics lead to higher clinical cure rates in adults with acute maxillary sinusitis?
Studies were identified by searching Medline and EMBASE/Excerpta Medica (to October 1998), scanning bibliographies of relevant articles, and contacting pharmaceutical companies and experts in the field.
Studies were selected if they were randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared an antibiotic with placebo or with another type of antibiotic in 
30 patients who were 18 years of age and had a history consistent with acute maxillary sinusitis confirmed by radiography or aspiration.
2 or more reviewers independently extracted data on study characteristics; interventions; study duration; length of follow-up; co-interventions; compliance; and clinical, bacteriological, radiographic, and adverse event outcomes.
32 RCTs with 34 comparisons met the inclusion criteria. Treatment duration ranged from 3 to 15 days. Penicillin V, 1200 to 3960 mg/d, led to an increase in clinical cure or improvement rates (table
). No difference in clinical cure was seen between the amoxicillin and control groups in 2 heterogeneous RCTs. Newer
Sacred Heart Hospital Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA
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