Long-Term Follow-Up After Maxillary Sinus Balloon Sinuplasty and ESS.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this controlled follow-up study was to compare the need for revision surgery, long-term efficacy, and satisfaction in chronic rhinosinusitis patients who had undergone maxillary sinus operation with either balloon sinuplasty or traditional endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) technique. METHODS: Thirty-nine ESS patients and 36 balloon patients of our previously described cohort, who had been primarily operated in 2008 to 2010, were contacted by phone. Symptoms, satisfaction, and need for revision surgery were asked. In addition, we collected data of patients who had undergone primary maxillary sinus balloon sinuplasty in the Helsinki University Hospital during the years 2005 to 2019. As a control group, we collected data of patients who had undergone primary maxillary sinus ESS at 3 Finnish University Hospitals, and 1 Central Hospital in years 2005, 2008, and 2011. RESULTS: Altogether, 77 balloon patients and 82 ESS patients were included. The mean follow-up time was 5.3 years in balloon group and 9.8 years in ESS group. Revision surgery was performed on 17 balloon patients and 6 ESS patients. In the survival analysis, the balloon sinuplasty associated significantly with a higher risk of revision surgery compared to ESS. According to the phone interviews, 82% of ESS patients and 75% of balloon patients were very satisfied with the primary operation. CONCLUSION: Although the patient groups expressed equal satisfaction and change in symptoms after the operations, the need for revision surgery was higher after balloon sinuplasty than after ESS. This should be emphasized when counselling patients regarding surgical options.

Radiological score of computed tomography scans predicts revision surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis.

Objective: Evaluate computed tomography (CT) signs that predict need for revision endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Methods: CRS patients (n = 48) underwent routine sinus CT scans and baseline ESS in 2006-2011. Lund-Mackay (LM) scores and 43 other CT signs were analysed blinded from both sides. Patients filled in a questionnaire during the day of CT scanning. Follow-up data were collected from hospital records until January 2018. Associations were analysed by Fisher's exact, Mann Whitney U, Kaplan-Meier method with logrank test and Cox's proportional hazard model. Results: Total LM score was not significantly associated with the need for revision ESS. The best predictive model was a sum of CT signs of non-detectable anatomy of inferior/middle turbinates, obstructed frontal recess, and previous sinus surgery. Using these CT findings, we formed a Radiological Score (RS) (min-max, 0-3 points). Having at least one RS point was significantly associated with the need for revision ESS during the average follow-up of 10.7 years (p = 0.008, Logrank test). Conclusion: We identified a radiologic score that was able to predict the need for revision ESS, which is probably useful in predicting CRS outcomes.

Eosinophilia, asthma, NERD and the use of oral corticosteroids predict uncontrolled chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps after surgery.

BACKGROUND: Severe uncontrolled chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is a challenging condition to treat. The European Position Paper on Rhinosinusitis and Nasal Polyps 2020 (EPOS2020) has the following criteria when considering biological therapy for severe uncontrolled CRSwNP: eosinophilia, need for oral corticosteroids (OCS), symptom score, loss of sense of smell and co-morbid asthma. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed at finding associations of baseline factors with uncontrolled CRSwNP after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). METHODS: Electronic health record data of CRSwNP patients (N = 137) undergoing ESS in 2002-17 were used. Endpoints of uncontrolled CRSwNP were revision ESS, purchased OCS and antibiotic courses during follow up. Baseline factors were chosen based on EPOS2020 and the data available: nasal polyp (NP) eosinophilia, peripheral blood eosinophilia, co-existing asthma and/or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug exacerbated respiratory disease (NERD), need for OCS during the previous year, previous ESS, endoscopic NP score, and Lund-Mackay score of sinus computed tomography scans. RESULTS: During the follow-up of 10.1 ± 3.1 (mean ± standard deviation) years, 35 (25.5%) individuals underwent revision ESS. The best predictive model was obtained by a sum of baseline (1) blood eosinophilia ≥ 250 cells/≥l and/or NP eosinophilia ≥ 30% (Eos), (2) asthma/NERD, and (3) ≥ 1 OCS/year. It was significantly associated with revision ESS, purchased doctor-prescribed OCS and antibiotic courses during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: We identified similar predictive variables for uncontrolled CRSwNP that are used in the EPOS2020 indications of biological therapy, thus suggesting that these estimates are usable in clinical practice.

Factors Affecting the Control of Chronic Rhinosinusitis With Nasal Polyps: A Comparison in Patients With or Without NERD.

OBJECTIVES: The aim was to compare the control of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS), in patients with/without nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug exacerbated respiratory disease (NERD).Study Desing: A retrospective hospital-based sample of CRSwNP patients with/without NERD with follow-up. SETTING: Tertiary rhinology centers. METHODS: Electronic patient record data from 116 CRSwNP patients (46 with NERD and 70 without NERD) undergoing ESS during 2001-17 were studied. Mean follow-up time was 9.9 years (range 1.1-15.3). Endpoints reflecting uncontrolled CRSwNP were revision ESS, and need for rescue/advanced therapy (e.g. antibiotics, oral corticosteroids and/or biological therapy) during follow-up. NERD was variable of interest and gender, age, asthma, allergic rhinitis (AR), smoking, Lund-Mackay (LM) score of sinus computed tomography scans previous ESS and baseline total ethmoidectomy were used as covariates. RESULTS: Twenty-one (49.7%) NERD patients and 18 (25.7%) non-NERD patients underwent revision ESS within a mean ± SD of 4.3 ± 2.8 and 3.7 ± 2.6 years, respectively (p = .013, by Logrank test). In Cox´s regression models, NERD, female gender, young age, asthma, AR, previous ESS, and lack of total ethmoidectomy were associated with revision-ESS. In adjusted model, only the total ethmoidectomy predicted revision-free survival. In adjusted logistic regression model, there was an insignificant trend that NERD and LM score were associated with the need for rescue/advanced therapy in the follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with NERD had higher risk of uncontrolled CRSwNP than patient group without NERD, as measured by revision ESS and/or need for rescue/advanced therapy in the follow-up. In addition, baseline total ethmoidectomy was associated with revision-free survival.

Factors affecting upper airway control of NSAID-exacerbated respiratory disease: A real-world study of 167 patients.

BACKGROUND: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) exacerbated respiratory disease (N-ERD) is a triad with asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, and NSAID intolerance. Uncontrolled N-ERD forms a major public health problem due to frequent and difficult-to-treat exacerbations and/or requiring putatively frequent endoscopic sinus surgeries (ESS). Our aim was to study factors affecting control of N-ERD. METHODS: Retrospective patient record data (patient characteristics, prior sinus surgeries, follow-up data in 2020) from 167 N-ERD patients undergoing consultation at three tertiary hospitals from 2001 to 2017 was used. Outcome measurements reflecting uncontrolled N-ERD were revision ESS, corticosteroids/biological therapy, and antibiotic courses during 2016-2020. Associations were analyzed by using nonparametric tests, Cox's proportional hazard, and binary logistic regression models. RESULTS: Nasal polyp eosinophilia increased the risk of revision surgery during the follow-up (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 3.21, confidence interval 1.23-8.38). Also baseline oral corticosteroids (OCS; HR, 1.73, 1.04-2.89) and baseline surgery without total ethmoidectomy increased the risk of revision ESS (HR, 2.17, 1.07-4.42) in unadjusted models. In addition, both baseline OCS (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.78, 1.23-6.26) and a history of ≥4 previous ESS (aOR, 2.15, 0.98-4.70) were associated with the use of OCS/biological therapy during the follow-up, but not with high number of antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS: Nasal polyp eosinophilia, baseline OCS, and a history of recurrent ESS predict uncontrolled N-ERD. These factors might be clinically useful in risk-estimation of uncontrolled disease and for organizing follow-ups. Prospective cohort studies with larger sample size are needed to further study the factors affecting the upper airway control of N-ERD.

Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and validation of the sino-nasal outcome test (snot)-22 for Finnish patients.

PURPOSE: The Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-22 (SNOT-22) is the most commonly used disease-specific quality of life questionnaire in rhinology. The purpose of this prospective study was to translate and validate SNOT-22 into Finnish. METHODS: The validation process followed the guidelines proposed for cross-cultural adaptation of health-related measures of quality of life. The study consisted of three groups: rhinologic out-patients (N = 96), FESS patients (N = 49) and healthy controls (N = 79). Out-patient and FESS groups completed the questionnaire twice (answers A and B), out-patients after two weeks and FESS patients after 3 months. Validity, reliability and responsiveness were evaluated. RESULTS: The mean SNOT-22 sum score of the out-patient questionnaires were 35.3 points (answer A) and 32.4 points (answer B). ICC in out-patient group was 0.879. For the FESS patients, the mean pre- and postoperative (answer A and B) SNOT-22 sum scores were 46.8 and 21.9 points, respectively (p < 0.0001). The mean SNOT-22 of healthy controls was 8.9 points. The out-patients (answer A) and healthy controls had statistically significant difference in SNOT-22 scores (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study show that the validated Finnish version of the SNOT-22 questionnaire demonstrates good validity, reliability and responsiveness.

A detection dog for obstructive sleep apnea: could it work in diagnostics?

PURPOSE: We have previously demonstrated that dogs can be trained to distinguish the urine of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) from that of healthy controls based on olfaction. Encouraged by these promising results, we wanted to investigate if a detection dog could work as a screening tool for OSA. The objective of this study was to prospectively assess the dogs' ability to identify sleep apnea in patients with OSA suspicion. METHODS: Urine samples were collected from 50 patients suspected of having OSA. The urine sample was classified as positive for OSA when the patient had a respiratory event index of 5/h or more. The accuracy of two trained dogs in identifying OSA was tested in a prospective blinded setting. RESULTS: Both of the dogs correctly detected approximately half of the positive and negative samples. There were no statistically significant differences in the dogs' ability to recognize more severe cases of OSA, as compared to milder cases. CONCLUSION: According to our study, dogs cannot be used to screen for OSA in clinical settings, most likely due to the heterogenic nature of OSA.

Hierarchical clustering in evaluating inflammatory upper airway phenotypes; increased symptoms in adults with allergic multimorbidity.

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory upper airway diseases cause significant morbidity. They include phenotypes with different treatment; allergic or non-allergic rhinitis (AR, nAR), and chronic rhinosinusitis with or without nasal polyps (CRSwNP, CRSsNP). In clinical practice, these phenotypes are often difficult to distinguish and may overlap. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if hierarchical clustering can be used to distinguish these phenotypes based on the presence of nasal polyps, off-seasonal allergic symptoms, and self-reported background characteristics - e.g. atopic dermatitis (AD); and to further analyse the obtained clusters. METHODS: We studied a random sample of 74 CRS (chronic rhinosinusitis) patients, and a control group of 80 subjects without CRS with/without AR (tertiary hospitals, 2006-2012). All underwent interview and nasal examination, and filled a questionnaire. Variables regarding demographics, off-seasonal symptoms, and clinical findings were collected. Hierarchical clustering was performed, the obtained clusters were cross-tabulated and analysed. RESULTS: Four clusters were identified; 1: "Severe symptoms and CRSwNP" (n = 29), 2: "Asymptomatic AR and controls" (n = 39), 3: "Moderate symptoms and CRSsNP" (n = 36), and 4: "Symptomatic and AD" (n = 50). Cluster 1 had most sinonasal symptoms, cluster 3 had a high prevalence of facial pain. The presence of AR did not distinguish CRS groups. Of the AR subjects, 51 % belonged to cluster 4, where AR with off-seasonal airway symptoms and AD predominated. CONCLUSIONS: Hierarchical clustering can be used to distinguish inflammatory upper airway disease phenotypes. The AR phenotype was subdivided by the presence of AD. Adult AR+ AD patients could benefit from active clinical care of the upper airways also off-season.

Comparison of intra-operative characteristics and early post-operative outcomes between endoscopic sinus surgery and balloon sinuplasty.

CONCLUSION: In terms of operation time, anesthesia method, and low complication rate, ESS and balloon sinuplasty seemed comparable. The advantages of balloon sinuplasty were shown to be shortness of sick leave, possibility to be performed as an in-office procedure, and lower adhesion formation. BACKGROUND: Endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) has been considered as a treatment of choice for persistent chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). During the last decade balloon sinuplasty has been introduced as an alternative technique to dilate the ostium. Although balloon sinuplasty is considered relatively safe and efficient, comparative evidence of its putative intra-operative and post-operative advantages remain limited. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this retrospective controlled study was to evaluate intra-operative factors and early post-operative outcomes among CRS patients who had undergone maxillary sinus operation with either balloon sinuplasty or ESS technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were collected from 208 patients with CRS treated either with ESS or balloon sinuplasty during the years 2008-2010. Intra- and peri-operative factors were collected from patient records of the patients who met the inclusion criteria (n = 39 in ESS group and n = 36 in balloon sinuplasty group). RESULTS: There was no significant difference in operation time and anesthesia method between the two groups. No complications occurred with either technique. All ESS procedures and 67% of the balloon sinuplasty procedures were done in the hospital setting, whereas 33% of the balloon sinuplasty procedures were done in the office setting. The duration of sick leave and the number of patients with adhesions were significantly higher in the ESS group compared to the balloon sinuplasty group.

Long-term follow-up after ESS and balloon sinuplasty: Comparison of symptom reduction and patient satisfaction.

CONCLUSION: This is the first controlled study of balloon sinuplasty's long-term efficacy with the follow-up time over 5 years. The results are in accordance with a previous 2-year-follow-up study. Both techniques retained the efficacy and patient satisfaction on average 6 years after the surgery. BACKGROUND: Endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) and balloon sinuplasty are considered as a treatment for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) after a failure of conservative therapy. High cost and lack of long-term follow-up studies restrain the use of balloon sinuplasty. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare long-term efficacy and satisfaction in CRS patients who had undergone maxillary sinus operation with either balloon sinuplasty or ESS technique. Previous or additional sinonasal operations were exclusion criteria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Study patients were recruited from 208 CRS-patients who underwent either ESS or balloon sinuplasty. Patients with nasal polyposis (gradus ≥ 2), previous sinonasal surgery, unilateral disease, or immune deficiency were excluded. Altogether 45 patients in the ESS group and 40 patients in the balloon group were included. Of these, 30 and 28, respectively, answered to a phone interview held on average 6 years after primary surgery. Symptom reduction and long-term satisfaction were evaluated by using symptom scores of 19 parameters altogether. RESULTS: Both groups experienced improvement in symptoms and were equally satisfied with the operation. The number of patient-reported acute exacerbations was higher among the balloon dilated patients. Also, the reduction of thick nasal discharge was less evident in the balloon sinuplasty group. Four patients in the balloon sinuplasty group underwent revision surgery. There were no revisions in the ESS group.

Factors affecting revision rate of chronic rhinosinusitis.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a variable multifactorial disease. It can be divided into forms with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and without (CRSsNP). Sinus and/or nasal polypectomy surgery are considered if maximal conservative treatment is insufficient. The predictive factors of the need of revision surgery comprise mostly the CRSwNP phenotype and are not fully understood. STUDY DESIGN: The aim of this follow-up study was to evaluate the factors associated with the revision surgery rate in CRS patients with variable extent of disease. METHODS: Data of CRS patients (N = 178) undergoing sinus surgery and/or nasal polypectomy in 2001 to 2010 were used. Patient characteristics and follow-up data were collected from patient records and questionnaires. Associations were analyzed by Fisher's exact, Mann Whitney U, and the Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank test. Unadjusted Cox's proportional hazard models were used for 12 variables and were fitted for the need for revision sinus surgery and/or nasal polypectomy during follow-up of in average 9 years. RESULTS: The proportion of CRS patients who had undergone revision in 5 years was 9.6%. After adjustment, the following factors associated significantly with the need for recurrent CRS surgery: allergic rhinitis, corticosteroid treatment, previous surgery of CRS, and recurrent NP. CONCLUSION: Increased risk of progressive CRS phenotypes with the need for revision surgery would putatively be recognized by relatively simple clinical questions. Further studies with increased sample size are needed to evaluate whether these predictive factors would be relevant for developing better detection and management of progressive CRS. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2b.

Satisfaction with maxillary sinus surgery might be influenced by risk factors.

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is an inflammation of the nose and paranasal sinuses lasting for ≥12 weeks. Endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) is considered during difficult to treat CRS. The minimally invasive technique focuses on the transition areas rather than on the ostia. The aim of this study was to evaluate symptoms, the number of acute sinusitis episodes, and satisfaction after ESS with either preservation or enlargement of the maxillary sinus ostium. Thirty patients with moderate nonpolypous CRS were enrolled. Uncinectomy only and additional middle meatal antrostomy were randomized for each side of each patient and performed single blindly. The symptoms questionnaires were filled at four time intervals. Significant symptom reduction was achieved independently of operation technique. The number of acute sinusitis episodes indicating the exacerbation rate decreased significantly at 9 and, on average, 68 months postoperatively. However, the exacerbation rate began to increase after 9 months postoperatively. Three revisions were performed on the side with uncinectomy only and one on the side with additional antrostomy. Most patients reported good satisfaction with both procedures. There was a trend for patients with asthma and/or job exposure to report insignificantly more frequently no satisfaction with surgery, especially with the uncinectomy-only procedure. Both procedures seem to be efficient in providing symptom relief and satisfaction. More studies are needed to evaluate if patients with risk factors benefit more from an ostium-enlarging procedure.

Endoscopic sinus surgery might reduce exacerbations and symptoms more than balloon sinuplasty.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) is considered after medical therapy failure of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). The balloon sinuplasty dilates the natural ostium without moving mucosa or bone. It still lacks evidence from randomized controlled trials. The aim of this retrospective controlled study was to compare the symptom outcomes after maxillary sinus surgery with either the ESS or the balloon sinuplasty technique. No previous or additional sinonasal operations were accepted. METHODS: Two hundred eight patients with CRS without nasal polyps underwent either balloon sinuplasty or ESS. The patients who met with the inclusion criteria (n = 45 in ESS group and n = 40 in balloon group) replied to a questionnaire of history factors, exacerbations, and a visual analog scale (VAS) scoring of the change in symptoms, on average 28 ± 6 (mean ± SD) months postoperatively. RESULTS: The groups were identical in the response rate (64%), patient characteristics, and the improvement in all of the asked symptoms. Patients with CRS-related comorbidity and/or present occupational exposure had a statistically significantly better symptom reduction after ESS than after balloon sinusotomy. Moreover, the balloon sinusotomy group reported a statistically significant higher number of maxillary sinus punctures and antibiotic courses during the last 12 months. CONCLUSION: ESS might be superior to balloon sinuplasty, especially in patients with risk factors. There is a need to perform more controlled studies on the treatment choices of CRS.

Endoscopic sinus surgery with antrostomy has better early endoscopic recovery in comparison to the ostium-preserving technique.

Background. Endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) is considered for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) after failure of conservative therapy. Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate endoscopically ostium patency and mucosal recovery after ESS, with either maxillary sinus ostium-preserving or -enlarging techniques. Materials and Methods. Thirty patients with non-polypous CRS were enrolled. Uncinectomy-only and additional middle meatal antrostomy were randomly and single-blindly performed for each side. Pre- and postoperative endoscopic scores were semi-quantitatively determined according to findings in the ostiomeatal complex area. Adhesions, maxillary sinus mucosal swelling, secretions, and ostium obstruction were also endoscopically evaluated. In addition, symptoms were asked and computed tomography scans were taken preoperatively and 9 months postoperatively. Results. At 16 days postoperatively, a better endoscopic score and a less obstructed ostium were found with antrosomy. At 9 months postoperatively the endoscopic score improved significantly and identically with both procedures, however, obstructed ostia and sinus mucosal swelling/secretions were insignificantly more frequently found on the uncinectomy-only side. Endoscopic and radiologic findings of the maxillary sinus mucosa and ostium correlated significantly 9 months postoperatively. Conclusion. There was a good long-term mucosal recovery with both surgical procedures. In terms of early mucosal recovery and ostium patency, antrostomy might be slighly superior.

Mucosal eosinophils and l-selectin ligands are associated with invasive and noninvasive sinus surgery outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is characterized by persistent inflammation of the nasal and paranasal mucosa with numerous emigrated leukocytes. L-Selectin on leukocytes and its endothelial glycosylated ligands initiate leukocyte infiltration into inflamed tissues. Endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) is the major approach for restoring sinus physiology after failure of conservative therapy; however, the effect of enlarging the maxillary sinus ostium is still unknown. Here, we compared two histological markers of local inflammation, the number of mucosal eosinophils, and the expression of endothelial L-selectin ligands, with clinical outcomes after enlarging or saving the maxillary sinus ostium. METHODS: Twenty-three patients with CRS underwent uncinectomy on one side and additional middle meatal antrostomy on the other side. Maxillary sinus mucosa biopsy specimens from these patients and nine healthy subjects were taken for immunohistochemical evaluations of the number of mucosal eosinophils and endothelial L-Selectin ligands. Also, symptoms and mucociliary clearance were measured. RESULTS: The postoperative reduction of the endothelial L-Selectin ligands was independent of the operation technique. There was a correlation between postoperative number of mucosal eosinophils and symptom score, which was also independent of the surgical technique. The postoperative decrease of mucosal eosinophils, as well as the correlation of the intraoperative eosinophils with the postoperative symptom score, was found only on antrostomy side. CONCLUSION: ESS decreases the expression of endothelial L-Selectin ligands, which might lead to decreased eosinophil traffic into maxillary sinus mucosa, putatively more when enlarging the maxillary sinus ostium. Both intra- and postoperative low number of eosinophils seem to be indicators of good subjective recovery.

Endothelial L-selectin ligands in sinus mucosa during chronic maxillary rhinosinusitis.

RATIONALE: Chronic rhinosinusitis is characterized by persistent inflammation of the nasal and paranasal mucosa with numerous emigrated leukocytes. L-selectin on leukocytes and its endothelial glycosylated ligands initiate organ-specific leukocyte infiltration into inflamed tissues. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the endothelial expression of functionally active endothelial L-selectin ligands, sulfated sialyl Lewis x, in maxillary sinus mucosa from patients with chronic rhinosinusitis and from normal control subjects. METHODS: Maxillary sinus mucosa specimens (116) were obtained surgically and immunohistochemically stained with monoclonal antibodies detecting sialyl Lewis x or sulfated extended core 1 lactosamines. The severity of the inflammation was determined by intraoperative endoscopic findings, computed tomography scans, and histopathologic assessment of the specimens. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The percentage of vessels expressing endothelial sulfated sialyl Lewis x epitopes increased during chronic rhinosinusitis compared with uninflamed control tissue, especially in patients with additional allergic rhinitis, and decreased in specimens from aspirin-intolerant patients with preoperative oral corticosteroid treatment. In addition, the expression level of endothelial sulfated sialyl Lewis x epitopes and the number of mucosal eosinophils correlated with the severity of the inflammation, and decreased in specimens taken 9 months postoperatively compared with intraoperative samples, especially in patients with intranasal corticosteroid treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that functionally active L-selectin ligands might guide leukocyte traffic into maxillary sinus mucosa preferentially in patients with severe findings of chronic maxillary rhinosinusitis, thus leading to aggravation of the inflammation.