New research from Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery
Upwards of 76 percent of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) experienced significant quality of life (QOL) improvements after undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS), according to new research in the January 2010 issue of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.
CRS is a debilitating form of sinusitis that can lead to significant physical symptoms as well as substantial functional and emotional impairment. Symptoms of CRS include stuffy nose, sinus pain and pressure, headache, and sneezing, and CRS is often confused with the cold, flu, or allergies. According to the National Health Interview Survey, CRS affects 14-16 percent of the U.S. population and has significant socioeconomic implications, with annual direct costs of $4.3 billion. Also, patients with sinusitis score lower in QOL measures of bodily pain and social functioning than patients with congestive heart failure, angina, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or back pain. Due to the chronic nature of the disease, and the relatively poor response of some patients to initial medical therapies, patients with CRS undergo 500,000 surgical procedures annually, with the primary goal of improving QOL.
The prospective, multi-institutional cohort study analyzed a total 302 patients with CRS from three medical centers between July 2004 and December 2008 and followed the patients for approximately one and a half years postoperatively. The goal of the study was to report outcomes of ESS using prospective, multi-institutional data from a large cohort and validated disease-specific and general health-related QOL instruments. In addition, preoperative patient factors were evaluated for their ability to predict clinically significant outcomes so that surgeons can appropriately counsel patients and optimize surgical case selection.