Although surgery is recommended for children who suffer from chronic sinusitis only when other treatment methods fail, a new research suggests that life after surgery for these children becomes much better.
Removal of adenoids is the first-line surgical therapy for chronic rhinosinusitis in children. Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) is also being performed with increased frequency to treat children with chronic rhinosinusitis.Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center will report their findings at the 109th Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO of the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation, being held September 25-28, 2005, at the Los Angeles.
Children referred to the Pediatric Otolaryngology Service at Virginia Commonwealth University for evaluation of sinonasal symptoms between age one and 18 who underwent surgical therapy were included in the study. Severity of rhinosinusitis and effectiveness of surgery for the relief of rhinosinusitis were evaluated using the SN-5 quality of life survey. The survey comprises five domains of sinus infection, nasal obstruction, allergy symptoms, emotional distress, and activity limitations.
The domain scores as well as the total scores for all children improved significantly after surgery. Likewise, scores for overall quality of life also improved after surgery.
This report confirms that caregivers report an improvement in quality of life in their children following surgery for rhinosinusitis. The total survey score, the overall quality of life score, and the scores for all domains showed a significant change after surgical therapy. The greatest improvement in quality of life was found in the domains of nasal obstruction and emotional distress; the least improvement was seen in allergy symptoms.
Source: Newswise
