Effect of endoscopic sinus surgery on quality of life among the patients of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis

Abstract Background Quality of life (QoL) tests are usually used to assess the response to different therapies. They are the tools that best reflect the patients’ complaints, the severity of their pathology, and the post-therapeutic gains. The aim of the present study is to assess the effect of endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) on quality of life (QoL) among the patients of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP), using the Sino-Nasal Outcome Test 22 items (SNOT-22). Methods This is a prospective, descriptive, and monocentric study involving all the patients who underwent surgery for CRS with nasal polyposis at Bejaia University Hospital over a period of 36 months, from January 1st, 2017, to December 31st, 2019. A SNOT-22 test was completed item by item with our patients, before any surgery, and after endoscopic sinus surgery at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months. Results Sixty-five patients, having undergone ESS for CRS with nasal polyposis, were followed during a period 12 months. The average age of our patients was 42.06 ± 12.47 years, with 41.5% females and 58.5% males. Clinical examination showed that impairment was bilateral in 100% of our patients, while the nasal endoscopy showed that the polyps reached stage III in 87.7% of the cases on the right and 80% on the left. The mean Lund-Mackay CT score was 18.71 ± 4.77/24. All of the patients were treated with local and general short courses of corticosteroid therapy before ESS was indicated. Our results showed improvement in the QoL of our patients and maintenance of this gain after surgery. The average total SNOT-22 score for them was 49.41 ± 17.12 pre-operatively; post-operatively it was 12.14 ± 10.22 after 1 month; 10.31 ± 8.17 after 3 months; 9.35 ± 8.93 after 6 months; 12.21 ± 15.45 after 9 months and 12.63 ± 16.23 after 12 months. Conclusion ESS is the gold standard in the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis after failure of medical therapy. The use of SNOT-22 test enabled us to confirm that whatever the surgical procedure applied, the QoL improves after surgery.