[Nasosinusal polyposis. Indications. Results. Apropos of 222 ethmoidectomies]

From 1984 to 1990, we carried out 222 endonasal ethmoidectomies in 116 patients with invalidating nasosinusal polyposis who had undergone multiple treatments. Out of these, 49 suffered from asthma and 17 from Widal's disease. We were able to follow up 109 patients with an average time lapse of 14.2 months, the extreme values being 3 months and 6 years. Complete ethmoidectomy was performed in all case, using a combination of surgical microscope and 30% rigid optics. The low number of complications, the high percentage of good results and the absence of respiratory functional aggravation currently give endonasal ethmoidectomy a place of choice for the management of patients with polyposis, in the absence of any true etiological treatment. We associate non-intolerant asthmatics, for whom we have obtained the best results, to the conventional indication. Conversely, Widal's disease is a more disputable indication, and its high percentage of failures justifies the continuation of basic research.