Does eosinophilic inflammation affect the outcome of endoscopic sinus surgery in chronic rhinosinusitis in Koreans?

The implication of eosinophilic inflammation in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) has not been sufficiently studied in Asians. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between eosinophilic inflammation in sinonasal tissues and the surgical outcome of functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) in Koreans.

A retrospective review of medical records was performed for 347 patients who had undergone bilateral FESS. During FESS, nasal polyp (NP) or sinonasal pathological mucosa was obtained and histopathological analyses were performed. For analyses of surgical outcomes, 173 patients whose follow-up was >12 months were included. The sinonasal cavity was evaluated by endoscopic examination at the last follow-up using a Lund-Kennedy endoscopic scoring system.

Of 347 patients whose tissues were histologically evaluated, 250 (72%) had noneosinophilic CRS. The patients were categorized into four groups according to the presence of NP and eosinophilic inflammation. Of 173 patients, 43 patients (24.9%) had eosinophilic CRS with NP, 15 (8.7%) had eosinophilic CRS without NP, 74 (42.7%) had noneosinophilic CRS with NP, and 41 (23.7%) had noneosinophilic CRS without NP. There were no statistically significant differences in prevalence of allergic rhinitis and asthma and in their preoperative Lund-Mackay scores among four groups. Also, there was no statistically significant difference in the postoperative Lund-Kennedy score between eosinophilic and noneosinophilic CRS groups.

The results suggest that eosinophilic inflammation in CRS may not be related to the surgical outcome in Koreans.