Balloon compared to FESS – long-term patient satisfaction

Balloon compared to FESS – long-term patient satisfaction This paper is the first controlled study of balloon sinoplasty’s long-term efficacy, with a follow-up extending over five years. There were 208 patients analysed and 88 recruited. Exclusions were nasal polyps grade...

Method of delivery: all topical nasal corticosteroids are not made equal

There is an increasing body of evidence that the role of surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis is to facilitate the delivery of topical medical treatment – most notably, topical corticosteroids. Two recent studies, one using flow dynamics and another one examining...

IL-25 and nasal polyps, another target

Immune response in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is mainly via type 2 T-helper (Th2) cells while Th1 cells characterise chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps (CRSsNP) immune response. CRSwNP is heterogeneous on a cytological level causing a varied response...

Stem cells in nasal polyposis

Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is common and is multifactorial with increased T-helper 2 response and active role of interleukin 5. It can be associated with asthma and control of CRSwNP improves lower airway disease. Due to constant cellular...

Stenting and sinus surgery

Stents are used in sinus surgery with the aim of maintaining patency of sinus cavity avoiding restenosis from inflammation or scarring. The exact indication for stenting in sinus surgery however is still debated. The authors discussed the potential role of...

Precision medicine in allergic rhinitis and chronic rhinosinusitis

Precision medicine (PM) with its ‘four Ps’ (personalised, predictive, preventive and participatory) is about appreciating differences between individuals when offering management options for health problems. Multiple groups interested in rhinology such as EPOS and ARIA supported a review of the...

A review of topical treatments for chronic rhinosinusitis

Topical nasal treatment is considered the mainstay treatment for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). The authors reviewed the effectiveness of saline irrigation, topical corticosteroids, topical antibiotics and topical antifungals in the treatment of CRS. Large volume saline irrigation was found to be...

A new biomarker for chronic rhinosinusitis

This Chinese study looked at the feasibility of periostin (usually found in bone and lung tissue) as a biomarker for chronic rhinosinusitis. They sampled ethmoid mucosa in 12 patients with chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyposis (CRSsNP) and 25 patients with...

Comparison of outcomes after septoplasty

For this prospective study, the authors assessed the quality of life (QoL) with the rhinosinusitis SNOT-20 (Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-20) questionnaire and the symptoms on a visual analogue scale (VAS) in all patients undergoing nasal septal surgery. The patients reported the...

Sinus surgery effects on asthma patients

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and asthma are related. The authors identified a gap in the literature and designed this study with a relatively large sample size of 86 patients. They included patients with comorbid asthma and CRS with or without polyps...

A review of endoscopic sinus surgery outcomes

This review discusses the outcome measures that may be considered in the assessment of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) as well as the outcomes of endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) published so far. The authors also discuss the role of peri-operative...

The effect of cocaine or adrenaline dressing during endoscopic sinus surgery

A randomised controlled study of 37 patients took place that underwent endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis and received adrenaline or cocaine-soaked patties. The study showed no difference in the mean surgical field scores between adrenaline and cocaine sides. Adequate...