Impact of Age on Sinus Surgery Outcomes

To evaluate the impact of age on patient-reported quality of life (QOL) following endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).

Prospective cohort study.

Six hundred thirty-six patients with CRS were recruited from 11 otolaryngologic practices and completed the sinonasal-specific, 22-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-22 (SNOT-22) and general health-related EuroQol 5-Dimension (EQ-5D) questionnaires at baseline and 12 and 24 months after ESS. Patients were grouped chronologically to determine whether age at time of ESS was associated with clinical outcomes.

Ages ranged from 18 to 80 years (mean ± standard deviation = 48.5 ± 14.4). Improvement was observed in postoperative SNOT-22 scores at 12 and 24 months for all decades of life. Similar improvements were observed for EQ-5D-based health utility value (HUV) scores in all decades of life, except for the eldest cohort (ages 70-80, N = 33), who did not exceed the minimal clinically important difference at either 12 or 24 months following ESS. In regression analysis, age was not associated with sinonasal-specific outcomes (change in SNOT-22 scores) at 12 (P = .507) or 24 months (P = .955). In general health-related outcomes, however, age was significantly associated with change in EQ-5D-based HUV scores from baseline to 12 months following ESS after adjusting for patient demographics, comorbidities, and surgical history (P = .049).

This study demonstrates that ESS for adult CRS sufferers offers improved QOL outcomes through the eighth decade of life. The impact of comorbidities on QOL needs to be carefully considered when assessing older patients for sinus surgery.

2b Laryngoscope, 128:2681-2687, 2018.