Long-term improvements in quality of life after functional endoscopic sinus surgery for adolescents with chronic rhinosinusitis

CONCLUSIONS: The long-term quality of life of adolescents with chronic rhinosinusitis improved significantly after functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS), and endoscopic sinus surgery showed certain benefits for adolescent patients. The selection of appropriate patients may further improve the surgical outcomes and quality of life. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the long-term quality of life in adolescents (12-18 years) with chronic rhinosinusitis after endoscopic sinus surgery, and to evaluate the value of endoscopic sinus surgery in adolescent patients. METHODS: From 2003 to 2008, 729 adolescents with chronic sinusitis underwent endoscopic sinus surgery in our department; 270 of these patients were included in the study. Their quality of life was assessed before and within 3-8 years after the surgery using the SNOT-20 scale and was compared with that of healthy individuals of the same age. RESULTS: The SNOT-20-based assessment showed that the overall quality of life differed significantly before and after surgery (p = 0.000) and that some symptoms (dizziness, sense of facial oppression, sleep difficulty, embarrassment, and fatigue) had no significant differences before and after surgery (p > 0.05). Preoperative and postoperative symptoms (dizziness, sense of facial oppression, sleep difficulty, embarrassment, and fatigue) showed no significant differences between the healthy population and treated patients (p > 0.05).