How effective is postoperative packing in FESS patients? A critical analysis of published interventional studies.

The present study aimed to assess the clinical effectiveness of absorbable packing alone, non-absorbable packing alone, and absorbable versus non-absorbable packing in the postoperative care of FESS patients, regarding bleeding control, adhesion formation, wound healing, and overall patient comfort. Systematic literature review in Medline and other database sources until July 2013, and critical analysis of pooled data were conducted. Blinded prospective randomized control trials, prospective, and retrospective comparative studies were included in study selection. The total number of analyzed studies was 19. Placing packs in the middle meatus after endoscopic procedures does not seem to be harmful for postoperative patient care. Regarding the postoperative bleeding rate, absorbable packing is not superior to no postoperative packing (strength of recommendation A). Comparing absorbable to non-absorbable packing, the former one seems slightly more effective than the latter in the aforementioned domain (strength of recommendation C). Absorbable packing was also found more effective than non-absorbable packing as a means of reducing the postoperative adhesion rate (strength of recommendation B), and more effective in comparison with not placing any packing material at all (strength of recommendation C). Non-absorbable packing also proves more effective than no postoperative packing in preventing the appearance of such adhesions (strength of recommendation A). Absorbable packing is also more comfortable compared to non-absorbable materials (strength of recommendation A), or no postoperative packing in FESS patients (strength of recommendation B). The comparative analysis between the different packing modalities performed in the present study may help surgeons design a more individualized postoperative patient care.

Functional endoscopic sinus surgery improves the quality of life in children suffering from chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of FESS in children with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, regarding their overall postoperative quality-of-life (QoL) and constituent QoL domains. Potential differences between cystic fibrosis (CF) sufferers and non-sufferers, or cases with recurrent sinonasal polyposis versus single-operations were also explored. METHODS: 39 children were studied. The mean patient age was 10.9 years; four children suffered from cystic fibrosis. The children (or parents) completed the Glasgow Benefit Inventory for Children (GCBI) at least six months after their operation. The Mann-Whitney test compared the GCBI scores between non- and CF sufferers, as well as children with and without recurrent polyposis. RESULTS: The median overall QoL score was 98. There were no statistically significant differences between CF sufferers and non-sufferers regarding their overall QoL, or the respective individual QoL domains, apart from their physical postoperative activity (p = 0.04). Twelve children demonstrated recurrent polyposis (30.7%); among them three were cystic fibrosis sufferers. No statistically significant differences were identified in the overall QoL score, or individual GCBI subscale scores between children with recurrent polyposis versus single-operations. Children with recurrent polyposis but not CF performed better regarding their overall QoL (p = 0.021) and medical status (p = 0.015), compared to their CF counterparts. CONCLUSION: FESS performed for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps in children is associated with improved postoperative QoL, irrespective of the presence of CF (although the latter needs to be confirmed in larger patient cohorts). The absence of appreciable differences in the overall QoL, or its constituent domains, between single and re-operated children, indicate that the positive effect of FESS outweighed the burden of re-operation. Appropriate preoperative informed consent in cases of recurrent sinonasal polyposis necessitates acknowledging worse respective outcomes in CF sufferers.