Optimizing Corticosteroid Sinonasal Irrigation Outcomes Through 3D Printing: A Randomized Pilot Clinical Trial.

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Medical Technology
• Rhinosinusitis Research

Background:

• Topical corticosteroid irrigation is crucial for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) management, but its effectiveness varies.
• Optimizing irrigation parameters, such as head positioning, is key to improving outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if personalized, 3-dimensional (3D)-printed nasal models can enhance head positioning and irrigation parameters for CRS patients.
• To determine if this personalized approach improves objective and subjective patient outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A randomized, single-blinded clinical trial involving 62 CRS patients.
• Patients were assigned to control (standard positioning), backfill, or 3D-printed model (MG) groups receiving daily mometasone irrigations for 2 months.
• The MG group used patient-specific 3D models to determine optimal head positioning for irrigation.

Main Results:

• Significant improvement in Lund-Mackay (LM) scoring was observed exclusively in the 3D-printed model group (MG).
• Patient-reported outcomes improved across all groups, but the MG showed superior objective results.
• Optimal model penetration scores correlated with improved posttreatment LM scores in the MG.

Conclusions:

• Personalized 3D-printed nasal models can significantly enhance objective outcomes of corticosteroid irrigation in CRS.
• Mometasone irrigation appears to yield similar subjective and objective results irrespective of prior endoscopic sinus surgery history.