Improved quality of life in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps associated with expanded types of endoscopic sinus surgery: A 2-year retrospective study.

KEY POINTS: Expanded types of functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) significantly improve quality of life and reduce revision surgeries rates, supporting their early application for moderate-to-severe cases. Minimal clinically important difference may play as a crucial role in defining surgical treatment response (i.e., responder and super-responder conditions). Expanded FESS benefits patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps but more data are required to have a clearer understanding of its uses due to varied approaches and reported outcomes in the literature.

Long-Term Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps Associated with Expanded Types of Endoscopic Sinus Surgery.

(1) Background: Surgical criteria for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) remain unresolved. This study addresses these discrepancies by comparing the clinical outcomes of expanded-functional endoscopic sinus surgeries (E-FESS) with more-limited FESS (L-FESS). (2) Methods: A database was analyzed retrospectively to compare surgical outcomes in CRSwNP patients who underwent E-FESS versus those subjected to L-FESS. Quality of life, endoscopic and radiological outcomes were compared at the baseline and two years after surgery. The clinical status of the responder was defined when a minimal clinically important difference of 12 points in SNOT-22 change was achieved. (3) Results: A total of 274 patients met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed; 111 underwent E-FESS and 163 were subjected to L-FESS. Both groups exhibited significant clinical improvements, although a greater magnitude of change in SNOT-22 (14.8 ± 4.8, p = 0.002) was shown after E-FESS. Higher significant improvements for endoscopic and radiological scores and lower surgical revision rates were also noted in the E-FESS group. (4) Conclusions: E-FESS provides better clinical outcomes and reduced revision surgery rates when compared to L-FESS in CRSwNP patients two years after surgery, irrespective of any comorbidity. Further randomized prospective studies are needed to comprehensively contrast these results.