[Polyposis nasi--effective treatment without operation? Broad etiological spectrum, individual therapy]

Various factors are thought to be involved in the etiology and pathogenesis of nasal polyps. The clinical symptoms include nasal obstruction, hyposmia or anosmia and recurrent sinusitis. At the cellular level eosinophilic granulocytes appear to have an important role to play, the growth, differentiation and degranulation of which is apparently controlled by interleukin 5. In the present study, practically relevant aspects of the pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment and diagnostic differentiation of the various types of polyps are discussed, with the latter point also being examined for its importance with regard to therapeutic consequences.