TRIO Best Practice articles are brief, structured reviews designed to provide the busy clinician with a handy outline and reference for day-to-day clinical decision making. The ENTtoday summaries below include the Background and Best Practice sections of the original article. To view the complete Laryngoscope articles free of charge, visit Laryngoscope.
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May 2019Background
Optimizing the surgical field in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP) increases the chances for a safe and efficient surgery. Preoperative medical management, anesthetic choice, patient positioning, and topical vasoconstrictors are methods currently used to mitigate cumbersome bleeding during surgery. Decreased bleeding improves the quality of the optical cavity, thereby enhancing visualization of nearby critical structures.
Pretreatment with corticosteroids is a common practice with the theory that decreased preoperative mucosal inflammation and edema results in less blood loss and better surgical visualization. Several randomized trials have addressed the efficacy of CRSwNP pretreatment with corticosteroids with respect to bleeding loss and surgical field quality.
Best Practice
Preoperative treatment of patients with CRSwNP undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery with corticosteroids is indicated and beneficial. Pretreatment with corticosteroids shortens operative time, likely decreases bleeding, and improves the quality of the surgical field allowing for safe and efficient surgery. There are known risks of administration of systemic corticosteroids, and clinicians must take these into account when evaluating an individual patient. Additionally, future studies are needed to determine the optimal dose and duration of treatment (Laryngoscope. 2019;129:773–774).
(click for larger image) Table 1. Summary of Management of Pediatric
Obstructive Sleep Apnea