A Rare Cause of Chronic Rhinosinusitis Secondary to a Retained Pledget: A Case Report

Introduction: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a widely prevalent disease. Retained objects as the cause of CRS are not commonly reported in the literature. The impact of the removal of this object is also a point of interest. The purpose of this case report was to investigate a patient whose CRS was suspected to be due to a foreign object and his postoperative course. Case Presentation: A 37-year-old male patient presented to the clinic with a chief complaint of right-sided nasal congestion, severe maxillary sinus pressure, and green thick nasal drainage for many years. He reported a history of dental and endonasal surgery on that side 8 years ago in Saudi Arabia. Imaging showed complete opacification of the right maxillary sinus and anteroinferior nasal cavity and several irregular-shaped radio-opaque materials within this region. His symptoms were refractory to medical management, and he chose to undergo endoscopic sinonasal surgery. A piece of gauze was removed from the right sinonasal cavity and maxillary sinus. In the weeks following surgery, his symptoms and inflammation fully resolved. Conclusions: Retained objects or material within the nose and sinuses are not commonly reported in the literature. This patient's CRS was secondary to a preventable cause. His increased morbidity after his initial surgery 8 years ago could have been avoided with careful attention to surgical counts.