CORONAL CT OF THE PARANASAL SINUSES BEFORE AND AFTER FUNCTIONAL ENDOSCOPIC SINUS SURGERY

Coronal CT of the paranasal sinuses and the ostiomeatal complex (OMC) was performed before and 12 months after bilateral functional endoscop ic sinus surgery (FESS) in 30 patients with sinusitis and 12 patients with nasal polyposis. The extent of sinus mucosal thickening was grade d, and the patency of the OMC was evaluated. After FESS, the percentag e of open OMCs had increased from 42% to 83% in the sinusitis group, a nd from 8% to 45% in the polyposis group. There was only a small impro vement in mucosal score in sinuses with opened OMC, so that the overal l extent of sinus opacification before and after FESS was almost the s ame. Despite this, 91% of the patients reported clinical. relief of sy mptoms. Preoperative coronal CT of the paranasal sinuses serves as an anatomical map for the surgeon, but there is no benefit of routine pos toperative CT.