Difficult decisions in endoscopic sinus surgery

Sinus disease, like many other problems in otolaryngology, may run the gamut of being either easily correctable with a clear-cut treatment or completely resistant to any form of treatment. Fortunately, many patients have problems somewhere between these two extremes. Clearly there is no one correct approach for treatment of many problems. Two, three, or even four approaches may be equally effective in some cases. In other cases, one approach may be successful in the hands of one surgeon whereas another approach is more appropriate for a different surgeon. This article presents nine cases that do not have clear-cut solutions. In some, the consultants clearly disagreed, whereas in others there was some uniformity in treatment plans. This flexibility in surgery in general and specifically with a technique that is relatively new is what makes it so exciting and so promising for continued success in treating sinus disease.