Role of nasal endoscopy in patients undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery

Background: The goal of this study was to determine the role of nasal endoscopy in patients undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery and to examine the correlation between nasal endoscopy and pre- and postoperative computed tomography (CT) grade, symptom scores, and the patients' asthma status. Methods: A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from 254 consecutive patients treated with endoscopic sinus surgery was performed from 1999 to 2002. There were 131 men and 123 women, with a mean age of 48 years. All patients had at least 1-year follow-up. All patients received preoperative CT scans, which were graded as per Lund-MacKay, completed the sinonasal outcome test 20 questionnaires, and underwent endoscopic nasal examination at both the preoperative and 1-year postoperative visits. The correlation between the endoscopy score, CT grade, and sinonasal outcome test 20 findings was calculated. Results: Nasal endoscopy indicated a statistically significant correlation with preoperative CT grade in this patient population. There was no correlation between endoscopic findings and patient symptom scores. Nasal endoscopy in patients with asthma (n = 47) did not correlate with either CT grade or patient symptom scores. In patients without asthma (n = 207), nasal endoscopy correlated with CT grade but not with symptom scores. Conclusion: Nasal endoscopy findings do not correlate with symptom scores in patients undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis. Nasal endoscopy findings correlated with CT grade in patients without asthma, but no such correlation was found in patients with asthma.