Influence of age on the surgical outcome after endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether patient age is associated with the surgical outcome after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) with polypectomy.

STUDY DESIGN: A prospective, controlled case series.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study consisted of 60 patients who were diagnosed as having chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with nasal polyposis (NP) that was refractory to medical treatment. Three groups were classified according to patient age: pediatric (5-18 yr), adult (19-65 yr), and geriatric (over 65 yr). We collected 20 patients in each age group after applying the exclusion criteria. The extent of the polyps and the Lund-Mackay score were calculated for each patient, and they underwent ESS with polypectomy. We compared the objective endoscopic findings and subjective improvements in symptoms among the groups 6 months after the procedure.

RESULTS: There were no statistical differences in polyp extent or Lund-Mackay score between the three age groups. The objective surgical outcome based on the endoscopic findings was worst in the pediatric group (45%), whereas the geriatric group showed the best results (90%). The differences in objective outcome among the three groups were significant, and patient age was a predictive variable for surgical result based on multiple logistic regression analysis. No major complications occurred, and the overall improvement in subjective symptoms was statistically significant in all three age groups at 6 months postoperatively. The subjective surgical outcome did not differ statistically between the groups, with the exception of olfactory disturbance.

CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study suggest that patient age influences the objective postoperative outcome in the endoscopic treatment of CRS with NP, and that ESS is an effective and reliable method for improving the subjective symptoms in patients of all age groups despite the statistically different objective surgical outcomes between the groups.