Defining the Health Utility Value of Medical Management of Chronic Rhinosinusitis: A Prospective Pilot Study

The extent to which medical management of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) may improve health utility value (HUV) remains unknown. We conducted a prospective pilot study to longitudinally assess HUV via the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire in patients with CRS who were receiving medical therapy but did not undergo sinus surgery. The primary study outcome was HUV at 12-month follow-up; secondary end points included HUV at baseline and 3- and 24-month follow-up. Our study enrolled 115 patients who received the following medical treatments: saline irrigations (n = 83, 72.2%), steroid sprays (n = 93, 80.9%), antihistamines (n = 64, 55.7%), steroid irrigations (n = 29, 25.2%), and oral antibiotics (n = 58, 50.4%). There was a statistically significant improvement (mean, +0.073; P = .003) in HUV at 12 months (minimum clinically important difference, 0.055) as compared with baseline. However, there was no statistically significant trend in HUV over time between baseline and 24-month follow-up (P = .3033). These findings can inform cost-effectiveness research as new medical therapies for CRS emerge.