The effect of endoscopic sinus surgery on quality of life and absenteeism in patients with chronic rhinosinuitis - A multi-centre study

Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis with and without nasal polyps (CRSw/sNP) are common conditions decreasing health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Individual symptoms capable of predicting outcome after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) are poorly defined, and the indirect costs of CRS is rarely reported in Europe. Methodology: Patients with CRSw/sNP admitted for ESS were prospectively enrolled. Patients completed the 22 Sinonasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22), the short-form 36-item questionnaire (SF-36), a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and reported CRS-related absenteeism pre- and post-operatively. Results: 181 patients were included. The SNOT-22 score diminished from 51.8 (48.7–55.0) pre-operatively to 33.0 (29.2–36.8) at 6 months. 64% achieved a clinically important improvement in the SNOT-22. SF-36 scores improved statistically significantly in all domains except “Role Emotional”. The VAS score halved from 68 (65–71) to 34 (29–39) at 6 months post-operatively. A pre-operative SNOT-22 score >20 implied a greater chance of score improvement after 6 months. A multivariate model identified individual items associated with SNOT-22. Further, patients that had <12 months of sinus disease derived greatest benefit. CRS-related absenteeism dropped from 8–14 days to 1–7 days 12 months after ESS. Conclusions: This prospective study showed that ESS significantly improved the HRQOL and decreased absenteeism of patients with CRSw/sNP. Shorter duration of disease and “Need to blow nose” and “Blockage/congestion of nose” of SNOT-22 were identified as predictive factors for good surgical outcome.