Short Wave Diathermy in Treatment of Nasal Sinusitis

Abstract

With the introduction of diathermy as a new and more effective thermotherapeutic agent as compared with the then available methods of conveying external heat to the body, efforts were made to apply this agent in the management of nasal sinusitis. The results have not been such as to encourage its general use in rhinologic practice. For reasons to be set forth, the advent of short wave diathermy gave an impetus to renewed experimental and clinical research with a view to obtaining favorable effects on certain inflammatory processes. The results of this research have brought about the present tendency to include the newer agent alone or as an adjunct to other measures in the management of inflammatory processes of the accessory nasal cavities.Actual and alleged differences between the older, or conventional, type of diathermy and the later types of short wave diathermy necessitate a brief reference as a common basis for discussion of the clinical aspects under consideration.The entire problem has been tersely disposed of by the Council on Physical Therapy of the American Medical Association 1 in these words : Medical diathermy is the therapeutic use of heat generated in the body tissues by a high frequency current which has insufficient local intensity to produce tem¬ peratures high enough to destroy the tissues or impair their vitality. Such currents are applied locally by three methods: (1) conventional long wave diathermy, con¬ tact metal electrodes being used, (2) short wave diathermy with an electric field, air-spaced or insulated electrodes being used, and (3) short wave diathermy with an electromagnetic field method, a cable being used.In conventional or long wave diathermy the frequency of oscillation is usually from one-half to three million cycles per second. In short wave diathermy the frequency of oscillations may be from ten million to 100 million cycles a second.

A Randomised Controlled Study to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Shortwave Diathermy in Acute Sinusitis

“…It was concluded that usage of antibiotics in ARS is widespread and there seems to be only slight added benefit in the usage of antibiotics over placebo. They also suggested further studies to be conducted for confirm results [13]. Group B included 15 subjects who were treated with shortwave diathermy for 20 minutes along with medical treatment for 5 days.…”