Selective irrigation of the sinuses in the management of chronic rhinosinusitis refractory to medical therapy: a promising start.

BACKGROUND: Although endoscopic sinus surgery has been widely used for the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis, some patients fail to derive clinical benefit from this procedure. We evaluated the efficacy of a treatment regimen consisting of selective irrigation of diseased sinus mucosa with topical antibiotics and steroids in conjunction with oral antibiotics and steroids.

METHODS: Twenty patients suffering from chronic rhinosinusitis and resistant to medical treatment (mean duration 3.4 years) underwent intubations of the affected maxillary and/or ethmoid sinuses for irrigation for a duration of 21 to 30 days. A computed tomographic (CT) scan of the paranasal sinus was taken both pre- and post-treatment and staged according to the Lund-MacKay system. Clinical symptoms were scored for rhinorrhea, facial pain, nasal congestion, and smell at least 2 months prior to treatment and approximately 18 months after the follow-up.

RESULTS: The clinical experience with the technique of intubation and irrigation was well tolerated by all patients. We found an improvement in all symptom scores, including rhinorrhea, nasal congestion, smell (n = 20; p < .001), and facial pain (n = 20; p < .01). Similar improvements were seen on the CT scans, with reduced staging from 14.6 +/- 1.1 to 5.6 +/- 1.1 (p < .001). Only three patients did not respond to selective irrigation of the sinuses and needed further surgery.

CONCLUSION: These results suggest that sinus irrigation could provide a reasonable and effective alternative to ethmoidectomy with drainage procedures and offer promise for the treatment of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis who are resistant to medical treatment.