Comparison by objective parameters in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis managed medically and surgically (with and without powered instruments)

OBJECTIVE: To compare mucociliary clearance time and quality of life in patients who underwent sinus surgery using conventional and powered instruments, and in patients who were treated nonsurgically. METHODS: A total of 151 patients with chronic rhinosinusitis were included. Fifty-four patients were treated conservatively, 48 patients were managed surgically by using conventional instruments and 49 patients were managed by using a microdebrider. Kupferberg nasal endoscopy grades, 20-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test scores, Lund-Mackay scores, and mucociliary clearance time were analyzed. RESULTS: On comparison among the groups, it was found that there was a significant difference between group A (nonsurgically treated) compared with group B (surgery by conventional means) or group C (surgery with microdebrider) in nasal endoscopic grades, Lund-Mackay scores, 20-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test scores, and mucociliary clearance time. However, in comparison between groups B and C, there was no statistically significant difference. CONCLUSION: Mucociliary clearance time tended to recover after starting treatment for chronic rhinosinusitis both after conservative treatment and after surgical treatment. Surgery provided better improvement in different objective scores in chronic rhinosinusitis. There exists no statistical difference in parameters independent of the instrument used for surgery.