Functional endonasal sinus surgery (FESS) in the pediatric age group

Functional endonasal sinus surgery has become a popular mode of surgical treatment for sinus disease in the United States. The literature has primarily addressed its use in the adult population. We present our series of 57 children who underwent functional endonasal sinus surgery. The children ranged in age from 3 to 15 years. Follow-up was from 3 to 13 months. Fifty-four of the patients were treated for chronic or recurrent sinus infections. Three patients were treated for complications of acute sinusitis. All patients tolerated the procedure well, and there were no major complications. We conclude that functional endonasal sinus surgery is a safe procedure in the pediatric age group. Although postoperative follow-up in the series was very short, early results appear encouraging. The technical approach is similar to that used in the adult procedure. The pediatric procedure, however, requires a follow-up nasal endoscopy under general anesthesia to achieve optimal results.