A survey of the diagnosis and management of rhinosinusitis in everyday practice based upon the proceedings of an expert panel meeting held in Strasbourg, France on 27 February 1999. Practical issues of concern in family practice, such as accurate diagnosis, length and type of primary care treatment, indications for referral and patient compliance, were the focus. However, less immediately applicable topics such as predisposition to asthma and societal cost implications were also discussed.