Antibiotic Concentrations in Relation to Structural Changes in Maxillary Sinus Mucosa following Intramuscular or Peroral Treatment

Abstract

The concentrations of penicillin and tetracycline were determined in the maxillary sinus mucosas of 47 patients preoperatively treated with either penicillin or tetracycline, or the two drugs in combination. A microbiological agar diffusion method was used for the antibiotic assays. In 33 of 41 patients treated with penicillin the concentrations in the sinus mucosas were above measurable concentrations (≥0.2 μg/g), while in 19 of 20 patients treated with tetracycline the concentrations were above measurable concentrations (≥0.3 μg/g). The mucosa/serum concentration ratios for tetracycline were significantly higher than those of penicillin. In 13 of 20 patients the ratios for tetracycline were above 1.0. No uniform relationship could be demonstrated between the structural changes of the mucosas and the corresponding mucosa/serum concentration ratios for penicillin and tetracycline. In 15 of 47 patients the maxillary sinuses contained secretions. The antibiotic concentrations in the sinus mucosas of these patients always exceeded the concentration of the corresponding sinus secretion.