Chronic rhinosinusitis: epidemiology and cost.

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is one of the most common chronic diseases and is associated with a high socioeconomic burden from direct and indirect costs. Its estimated prevalence ranges widely, from 2 to 16%. It is more common in female subjects, aged 18-64 years, and in southern and midwestern regions of the United States. CRS is more prevalent in patients with comorbid diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and environmental allergies. Few studies examine patient ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geographic location, and cultural factors in CRS populations. This article provides an overview of the epidemiology, racial variations, and economic burden of CRS.

Postoperative Polyp Scale (POPS): Development of a New Sinonasal Polyp Grading Scale.

OBJECTIVE: Commonly used endoscopic grading scales, such as the nasal polyp scale, inadequately describe the degree of polyposis found postoperatively in the paranasal sinus cavities. The purpose of this study was to create a novel grading system that more accurately characterizes polyp recurrence in postoperative sinus cavities, the Postoperative Polyp Scale (POPS). METHODS: A modified Delphi method was utilized to establish the POPS using consensus opinion among 13 general otolaryngologists, rhinologists, and allergists. Postoperative endoscopy videos from 50 patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps were reviewed by 7 fellowship-trained rhinologists and scored according to the POPS. Videos were rated again 1 month later by the same reviewers, and scores were assessed for test-retest and inter-rater reliability. RESULTS: Overall inter-rater reliability for the first and second reviews of the 52 videos was Kf = 0.49 (95% CI 0.42-0.57) and Kf = 0.50 (95% CI 0.42-0.57) for the POPS. Intra-rater reliability showed near-perfect test-retest reliability for the POPS with Kf = 0.80 (95% CI 0.76-0.84). CONCLUSION: The POPS is an easy-to-use, reliable, and novel objective endoscopic grading scale that more accurately describes polyp recurrence in the postoperative state which will be useful in the future for measuring the efficacy of various medical and surgical interventions. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 5 Laryngoscope, 133:2885-2890, 2023.

The relationship of the natural sphenoid ostium to the skull base.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Various intranasal landmarks have been described to aid in the localization of the natural sphenoid sinus ostium. The objectives of this study are to identify the ostium location relative to the skull base and assess the relationships between the location of the ostium and sphenoid disease or pneumatization pattern. DESIGN: Descriptive study. METHODS: Consecutive Xoran Mini-CAT (Ann Arbor, MI) scans of patients with no history of sinus surgery (n = 202) were evaluated. The natural sphenoid ostium was identified in axial, coronal, and sagittal planes. Distances from the planum to the ostium and from the planum to the sinus floor were calculated. Lund-Mackay score and pneumatization pattern were recorded for each sphenoid sinus. RESULTS: The mean distance from planum to ostium was 11.2 ± 2.6 mm (range 4.4-19.2). On average, this encompassed 45.5% ± 10% of the total sphenoid height. ANOVA with posthoc Tukey analysis revealed that the ostium was closer to the planum in sinuses with sellar (P = 0.05) or presellar (P = 0.02) pneumatization, compared to those with postsellar pneumatization. There was no significant relationship between the ostium location and degree of sinus disease. There was a significant difference in the pneumatization pattern between males and females (P = .04). More males had postsellar pneumatization than expected, and more females had sellar pneumatization than expected. CONCLUSIONS: The natural ostium of the sphenoid sinus is located at approximately the midpoint of the sphenoid face. Nevertheless, significant variability can be observed based on the pneumatization pattern. Surgeons should recognize that the ostium may be closer to the skull base when the sinus is less pneumatized.

Craniofacial osteoma: clinical presentation and patterns of growth.

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to investigate the clinical features and the growth rate of craniofacial osteomas. METHODS: Retrospective chart review was performed of 200 cases of craniofacial osteomas diagnosed from January 2001 to September 2011. Data pertinent to patient and osteoma lesion characteristics were collected. Histology of operated cases was reviewed. Computer tomography (CT) charts were reviewed and those with multiple images were analyzed for growth characteristics. RESULTS: One hundred forty-nine patients met our inclusion criteria. Eighty-nine percent of these osteomas were found incidentally. Forty-three percent were in the frontal sinus. Fifteen percent of the patients complained of headaches and only 6.71% of patients with osteoma had headaches congruent with osteoma location. Thirty-one percent of CT scans had sinus mucosal disease; only 8% had mucosal disease adjacent to the osteoma. Ten of the 149 patients underwent surgery for cosmetic and/or rapidly growing osteomas. Thirteen patients had intestinal tubular adenoma, and one was genetically positive for Gardner's syndrome. Fifty-two patients had multiple CT scans that were included in growth rate analysis. The mean linear growth rate of osteomas was estimated to be 0.117 mm/yr (95% CI, 0.004, 0.230) in maximal dimension, assuming linear growth. A descriptive analysis of osteoma growth divided the osteomas into several intervals and studied the growth rate separately in each interval. The median change in maximum dimension was different in each interval in a nonsystematic manner, ranging from -0.066 mm, over 3- to 9-month interval (interquartile range [IQR] = -0.404-1.069), to 0.369 mm over 9- to 15-month interval (IQR = -0.032-0.855), and 0.082 mm over 45- to 51-month interval (IQR = -0.000-0.197). There was no significant association between tumor size, location, or complications. CONCLUSION: Craniofacial osteomas are slow-growing lesions with no specific growth pattern and rare complications. Their clinical behavior is ill defined and justifies a conservative approach toward asymptomatic lesions with close radiological follow-up.

Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide: Pattern of secondary intraocular pressure rise and possible risk factors.

PURPOSE: To determine the pattern of increase in intraocular pressure (IOP) following intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (IVTA) and identify possible risk factors associated with this rise in IOP. METHODS: We carried out a retrospective review of records for 185 patients (226 eyes) who received 4 mg of IVTA at the American University of Beirut Medical Center and Hotel Dieu de France eye clinics between 2003 and 2005 RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 8.17 months (range 6 to 24 months). The mean number of IVTA injections per eye was 1.31 +/- 0.69. The mean IOP increased after the first IVTA injection from 15.04 +/- 3.18 mmHg at baseline to a mean maximum of 17.20 +/- 5.75 mmHg (p < 0.0001, paired t-test) at month 3 of follow-up with a return to mean baseline IOP (15.49 +/- 4.79 mmHg) at month 12. Fifty nine of 226 eyes showed IOP higher than 21 mmHg during follow-up. Nine eyes started to have IOP greater than 21 mmHg, 6 to 12 months after a single injection. Intraocular pressure lowering medications were started when IOP exceeded 25 mmHg in 15 of the 226 eyes studied. No risk factors have been found to predict this IOP rise CONCLUSIONS: IOP elevation can occur in a significant number of eyes receiving 4 mg of IVTA. This phenomenon seems to be transient and a small number of eyes required treatment during this period. Eyes that received IVTA need to be monitored for IOP changes especially during the first 3 months, but the IOP may still rise 6 months and even 12 months after a single injection. This study did not show any risk factor that may predict this IOP rise.