In-office balloon catheter dilation: analysis of 628 patients from an administrative claims database

Balloon catheter dilation (BCD) of the paranasal sinuses is increasingly described as a standalone procedure in the office for minimally invasive treatment of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). This study evaluates CRS-related healthcare utilization before and after in-office treatment as performed by otolaryngologists within the United States in an all-comer population.

Retrospective claims database analysis.

The MarketScan database was queried for patients undergoing BCD (Current Procedural Terminology [CPT] 31295-31297) for CRS (International Classification of Diseases Ninth Edition [ICD-9] 473.x) since 2011 in the office (place of service: 11). Exclusion criteria included < 1 year preoperative enrollment, < 6 months postoperative history, and concurrent (± 30 days) endoscopic sinus surgery (CPT 31254-31288). A cohort of 628 patients was identified. Analyses included preoperative comorbidities and CRS-related healthcare use.

Preoperative comorbidities included asthma (29.0%), polyps (11.5%), and aspirin sensitivity (9.9%). An average of 3.0 sinuses (95% confidence interval: 2.91-3.17) were dilated at index. Maxillary, frontal, and sphenoid dilations were performed in 88.9%, 74.5%, and 33.8% of cases, respectively. There were two orbital complications and seven cases of hemorrhage potentially associated with the procedure, but no postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leaks. No blood transfusion, lateral canthotomy, or canthoplasty were reported. CRS-related postoperative healthcare use declined rapidly from the immediate preoperative state. Twenty-one patients underwent revisions, with one patient undergoing two surgeries for a total of 22 reoperations (3.5%).

In-office BCD is associated with low risks of complications and revisions. Whereas not significant for patients with polyps, decreases in healthcare utilization pre- to postsurgery were significant for patients without polyps.