Evaluation of complications of functional endoscopic sinus surgery

Aim: The objective of this study is to evaluate the complications after functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the St. Marina University Hospital, Varna. Materials and Methods: The records of all patients subjected to FESS were evaluated retrospectively. The complications were classified as major (severe hemorrhage, leakage of cerebral spinal fliud, visual disturbances) and minor (mild hemorrhage, periorbital hematoma and cellulitis, subcutaneous emphysema, epiphora). Results: The records of all patients subjected to FESS in the time period March 2006 to January 2016 were retrieved from the digital patient record system of a single institution, St Marina University Hospital, in Varna, Bulgaria and evaluated retrospectively. A total of 65 patients aged 11-77 (2 children, mean age 13 +/- 2.8 years and 63 adults, mean age 46.5 +/- 13.9 years, 41 men and 24 women), who were subjected to FESS, were evaluated. Ten cases were classified as minor complications (15.3%). They included subcutaneous emphysema (n=1, 1.5%) and minimal postoperative bleeding (n=9, 13.8%).  Four cases were classified as major complications (6.1%). They included severe hemorrhage, requiring transfusion, nasal packing or rehospitalization (n=3, 4.6%), and visual disturbances (n=1, 1.5%). Conclusion: FESS may be considered a relatively safe method with low rate of the complications, but as with any surgical intervention, it carries risks. According to other published reports the average rate of minor and major FESS complications is about 9% and about 0.9%, respectively.