Diagnostic Value of Middle Meatal Cultures versus Maxillary Sinus Culture in Acute and Chronic Sinusitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

< 0.0001) with those of maxillary sinus puncture. The diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) of MMC (reference = maxillary sinus culture) was 8.5475 [3.9238; 18.6199]. The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.761. The sensitivity and specificity of MMC were 0.7759 [0.6744; 0.8526] and 0.7514 [0.6110; 0.8534], respectively. We performed subgroup analysis based on age (children vs. adults), duration of disease (acute vs. chronic), and specimen collection method (biopsy, swabs, suction tips). The DORs, specificities, and negative and positive predictive values varied significantly. Diagnostic accuracy was highest for children and individuals with chronic disease, and when samples were collected via suction.; Conclusions: MMC provided fair diagnostic accuracy in patients with acute or chronic sinusitis. Although some institutional differences were evident, the middle meatal and maxillary sinus culture results were similar.