Endoscopic sinus surgery in patients older than sixty

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Geriatric Medicine
• Surgical Innovation

Background:

• Chronic rhinosinusitis affects a significant portion of the elderly population.
• Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) is a standard treatment for adults with refractory chronic rhinosinusitis.
• Limited data exists on FESS outcomes specifically in geriatric patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the safety and efficacy of FESS in patients over 60 years of age.
• To compare FESS outcomes in geriatric patients to those reported in the adult population.
• To assess symptom improvement and complication rates following FESS in the elderly.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of prospective outcome measurements in 56 patients over 60 undergoing FESS.
• Preoperative and postoperative evaluation using Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-20 (SNOT-20) and rigid nasal endoscopy scoring at 3, 6, and 12 months.
• Statistical analysis using Student's t test to compare mean scores and documentation of any complications.

Main Results:

• Significant improvement in SNOT-20 scores: 64% at 3 months, 73% at 6 months, and 75% at 12 months.
• Marked improvement in rigid nasal endoscopy scores: 76% at 3 months, 65% at 6 months, and 76% at 12 months.
• Very few minor complications and no major complications were reported, comparable to adult FESS literature.

Conclusions:

• Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) is a safe and effective treatment option for geriatric patients with rhinosinusitis unresponsive to medical therapy.
• FESS offers significant symptom relief and objective endoscopic improvement in the elderly population.
• The safety and efficacy profile of FESS in geriatric patients supports its consideration in this demographic.