IMMUNOTHERAPY IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING FUNCTIONAL ENDOSCOPIC SINUS SURGERY

A total of 283 consecutive patients with chronic sinusitis underwent f unctional endoscopic sinus surgery; There were 72 allergic patients an d 211 nonallergic patients. Data were collected on the effect of immun otherapy on middle meatotomy patency, synechiae formation, and recurre nt polyps in allergic patients. Data supported the following conclusio ns: (I) Immunotherapy given either before or after surgery does not st atistically influence middle meatotomy patency, synechiae formation, o r recurrence of polyps after functional endoscopic sinus surgery. Howe ver, the data do suggest, for all three outcome parameters, that aller gic patients who undergo immunotherapy do better than those who do not undergo immunotherapy and, with the exception of recurrent polyps, do as well as nonallergic patients. (2) The prevalence of preoperative p olyps is the same for allergic and nonallergic patients in this study, but polyp recurrence is higher in allergic patients. (3) Approximatel y 40% of allergic patients who began preoperative immunotherapy stoppe d immunotherapy after surgery because their allergic symptoms resolved or were minimal. A comment regarding this observation is provided.