STAGING FOR RHINOSINUSITIS

Interest in the surgical treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis has incre ased, primarily because rigid endoscopy and, more particularly, comput ed tomographic scanning have facilitated the visualization of disease. At the same time it has become both scientifically and financially im perative to audit therapeutic outcome. Consequently, a staging system for non-neoplastic sinus disease is needed. it is clear that any asses sment of medical or surgical therapeutic response requires a method of quantifying disease severity that will be widely accepted by practiti oners in the field. This acceptance will largely depend on how easy th e method is to apply With computed tomographic scanning it is possible to more accurately determine the extent of the pathologic condition i n rhinosinusitis, a disease in which the severity of symptoms and the appearances on nasal endoscopy have a significantly mote unpredictable correlation with the extent of disease. One goal of the Task Force on Rhinosinusitis of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Nec k Surgery was to recommend a system for outcomes research that combine s quantification with ease of application.