Endoscopic Sinus Surgery Improves QoL in Patients with Minimal Disease

Will endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) provide an improved quality of life (QoL) for patients with medically recalcitrant chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) who have minimally affected computed tomography (CT) scans of the paranasal sinuses?

Background: Although most otolaryngologists have encountered patients with symptoms and endoscopic findings suggestive of CRS, CT evaluation may demonstrate minimal mucosal disease in some patients. In this setting, there is often a reluctance to perform ESS, especially when previous studies have shown a correlation between disease severity and symptom improvement.

Study design: Prospective, multicenter cohort study.