Endoscopic Sinus Surgery: A Comparison of Preoperative and Postoperative Status

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of 27 patients who had endoscopic sinus surgery in 1989 and were followed for 2 years postoperatively. To measure clinical improvement, two parameters were used: the frequency of physician visits for chronic sinusitis, and the number of courses of antibiotics. Data on both measures were collected for 1 year before and 2 years after endoscopic sinus surgery. This retrospective study demonstrates both a statistically significant and practically important decrease in physician visits and courses of antibiotics following endoscopic sinus surgery. Two years postoperatively 78% of the patients undergoing surgery had a greater than 50% reduction in physician visits for sinusitis, and 67% had a greater than 50% reduction in courses of antibiotics for sinusitis.