Photo Credit: Rabizo

The authors of a paper published in Current Allergy and Asthma Reports evaluated the impact of varying extents of endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) on chronic rhinosinusitis outcomes. Following PRISMA guidelines, the researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 46 studies involving limited sinus surgery, full house, extended, and radical ESS. The researchers found that full house ESS provided more significant improvements in symptom scores, as measured by the Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22), and endoscopy results compared with limited ESS. Radical ESS further enhanced nasal symptom relief and reduced disease recurrence compared with full-house ESS, while extended ESS lowered the need for revision surgeries. Total ethmoidectomy also led to better symptom outcomes than limited ethmoidectomy. The researchers noted that they found no significant difference in perioperative complications across all extents of ESS. The authors concluded that greater extent of ESS correlated with improved patient outcomes, and all surgical approaches were relatively safe.