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Pre- and postoperative mucociliary clearance in functional endoscopic sinus surgery
1Department of ENT and Head and Neck Surgery, Tyrone County Hospital, Omagh, Northern Ireland, U.K.
Ear, Nose, & Throat Journal
|February 12, 1998
Summary
Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) improves chronic sinusitis. Measuring saccharin transit time post-surgery offers a reliable, quantifiable method to assess FESS effectiveness and identify patients with poor prognoses due to ciliary motility disorders.
Area of Science:
- Otolaryngology
- Rhinology
- Surgical Outcomes Assessment
Background:
- Chronic sinusitis treatment has advanced with functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS).
- Assessing FESS efficacy objectively remains a challenge, hindering critical evaluation.
- The mucociliary mechanism is central to sinonasal pathophysiology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate saccharin transit time as a quantifiable measure of FESS outcomes.
- To correlate objective mucociliary function with subjective symptom improvement.
- To explore the potential of saccharin testing as a preoperative prognostic tool.
Main Methods:
- Prospective, controlled study involving 40 patients undergoing FESS.
- Measurement of saccharin transit time (mucociliary clearance) pre- and post-operatively.
- Correlation of transit times with patient symptom profiles.
Main Results:
- Significant reduction in saccharin transit times observed after FESS.
- Postoperative clearance times correlated well with improved patient symptoms.
- Saccharin testing demonstrated potential in identifying patients with poor surgical prognoses.
Conclusions:
- Saccharin transit time is a simple, safe, and reliable method for assessing FESS results.
- This technique provides objective data to complement subjective symptom reporting.
- Preoperative saccharin testing may identify patients with underlying ciliary motility disorders and poor prognoses.