Efficacy of Povidone-Iodine Nasal Irrigation Solution After Sinonasal Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Study

To evaluate the efficacy of postoperative nasal irrigation with povidone-iodine (PVP-I) solution in patients undergoing sinonasal surgery.

Single-blind, randomized controlled study.

This is a prospective, single-blind, randomized controlled study. Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and hypertrophic inferior turbinates who underwent endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) and inferior turbinate reduction were enrolled in the study. Patients were evaluated using the Taiwanese version of the 22-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (TWSNOT-22), rhinomanometry, endoscopic examination, and bacterial cultures. One week after the operation, patients were randomly assigned to either a 0.1% PVP-I nasal irrigation group or a control (normal saline) irrigation group. We then compared the two groups' results to illustrate the effects of nasal irrigation with PVP-I solution following sinonasal surgery.

Of the 55 patients that completed the study, 27 patients were in the PVP-I group and 28 were in the control group. In both groups, the TWSNOT-22 scores, Lund-Kennedy endoscopic scores, and total nasal resistance (TNR) all revealed significant improvements at 3 months postoperatively compared with preoperative measurements (all, P < .05). However, there were no significant differences between the two groups in TWSNOT-22, endoscopic, or TNR scores 3 months after the operation (all, P > .05).

A dilute 0.1% PVP-I nasal irrigation as a postoperative care modality after sinonasal surgery did not provide additional benefit compared with normal saline irrigation.

2 Laryngoscope, 132:1148-1152, 2022.