Assessing the safety and tolerability of rhinologic surgery under local anesthetic: an 8-year retrospective analysis

Office-based rhinologic procedures (OBRP) have become widely available in North America due to technological advances and appropriate patient selection. Nevertheless, the literature exploring the safety of these procedures remains limited. The objective of this study was to further evaluate the safety, tolerability and efficacy of these procedures with a more robust sample size to allow for capture of rare events.

A retrospective chart review of all patients who underwent OBRP from May 2015 to March 2023. Information regarding patient demographics, the indication for surgery, wait time, tolerability, intra- and postoperative complications, need for revisions, and type of revision (if applicable) was recorded.

1208 patients underwent OBRP during the study period. No patients were excluded. These included turbinoplasties (35%), endoscopic sinus surgeries (ESS) (26%), septoplasties (15%), nasal fracture reductions (7%), and a variety of other procedures. For ESS procedures, the anterior ethmoids and the maxillary sinuses were the most common sinuses treated. 1.1% of procedures were aborted prior to completion. The post-operative complication rate was 3.2%, with 2 major complications (significant bleeding and sepsis) encountered. The mean follow-up overall was 11 months and for ESS it was 15.8 months.

Office-based rhinologic procedures are well tolerated and safe for the appropriate patient and associated with shorter wait-times as well as avoidance of general anesthesia. The complication rates are similar to or lower than previously reported rates for rhinologic surgeries done in the operating room. The low rates of revision surgery also demonstrate the efficacy of these procedures.