[Application and exploration of small dose omalizumab in patients with recurrent eosinophilic sinusitis after...

Objective: To explore the short-term efficacy of small dose omalizumab in refractory sinusitis with eosinophilia after extended sinus surgery. Methods: A total of 24 patients who met the diagnostic criteria for eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis and remained poorly controlled after multiple surgical treatments were included in this study. These patients were admitted to Hunan People's Hospital between January 2020 and June 2022, and comprised 13 males and 11 females with an average age of (46.43±13.74) years. The patients were randomly divided into experimental group (12 cases) and control group (12 cases), both of which underwent extended sinus opening surgery. The experimental group received a small dose of omalizumab (150 mg/month) for 4 months, while no omalizumab was applied in the control group. All patients were followed up monthly, subjective and objective symptom scores were collected and compared between groups, which included visual analogue scale (VAS) score, sino-nasal outcome test (SNOT)-22 score, Lund-Mackay score, and Lund-Kennedy score. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 24.0 software. Results: The baseline was set at 1 month after surgery. There was no significant difference in baseline clinical characteristics between the two groups. After 4 months of treatment with omalizumab, the experimental group showed significant improvements in VAS scores for nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea, hyposmia, SNOT-22 score, and Lund-Kennedy score (3.11±1.05 vs 6.44±1.13, 2.00±0.87 vs 6.55±1.33, 2.22±0.67 vs 7.00±1.22, 4.44±0.88 vs 15.22±1.20, 1.67±1.00 vs 7.44±0.88, respectively, all P<0.001). Compared to the control group at 4 months after baseline, the experimental group had significantly lower scores for nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea, hyposmia, SNOT-22, and Lund-Kennedy (3.11±1.05 vs 7.11±1.17, 2.00±0.87 vs 7.67±1.41, 2.22±0.67 vs 7.56±0.88, 4.44±0.88 vs 15.33±2.34, 1.67±1.00 vs 9.00±1.41, respectively, all P<0.001). During a 2-month follow-up period after drug withdrawal, the VAS, SNOT-22, and Lund-Kennedy scores of the experimental group were slightly higher than those before drug withdrawal but showed no significant difference (3.44±1.33 vs 3.11±1.05, 2.22±1.09 vs 2.00±0.86, 2.55±0.88 vs 2.22±0.66, 4.77±0.97 vs 4.44±0.88, 2.11±1.05 vs 1.67±1.00, respectively, all P>0.05). Conclusion: For patients of refractory sinusitis with eosinophilia, a combination of extended sinus surgery and postoperative small dosage of omalizumab can effectively control mucous inflammation, promote mucosal epithelization, and play an important role in the critical early stage of disease recovery.