No packing versus packing after endoscopic sinus surgery: pursuit of patients' comfort after surgery

This study was designed to evaluate the necessity of postoperative nasal packing and to find factors relevant in determining if nasal packing was required after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS).

From January 2007 through June 2007, 64 consecutive patients who underwent ESS were evaluated. The decision whether or not to perform nasal packing depended on the surgeon's judgment of the bleeding after surgery. Demographic characteristics, medical history, disease extent, surgical procedures, and subjective and objective amount of intraoperative bleeding were analyzed. Postoperative symptoms and endoscopic findings were evaluated also.

Forty-eight (75%) of the 64 patients included in this study did not have nasal packing after ESS. One patient from the no-packing group needed nasal packing postoperatively because of persistent nasal bleeding. Symptom scores of nasal obstruction and postnasal drip on the 1st postoperative day were lower in the no-packing group. In unilateral ESS cases, subjectively estimated blood loss and mucosal inflammation scores were lower in the no-packing group. It was observed that preoperative steroid use was more frequent in the packing group. All other parameters did not show significant differences between the two groups.

Nasal packing can be safely used less frequently to help the patients experience less discomfort after ESS. The need for nasal packing after ESS can be decided by judicious estimation of bleeding during and after the surgery.