Effect of endoscopic sinus surgery on asthmatic patients with chronic rhinosinusitis

There have been several reports on the effectiveness of endoscopic sinus su rgery (ESS) in asthmatic patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. Whether ESS has a positive effect on the clinical course of asthma still remains contro versial, There have been several subjective evaluations but few objective r esults. We performed a study to evaluate the effectiveness of ESS in 19 pat ients with asthma who underwent ESS for rhinosinusitis. The use of antiasth ma medication and postoperative asthma symptoms was analyzed, Objective cha nges of pulmonary function tests were evaluated, There was a significant im provement in diurnal and nocturnal asthma symptoms. Improvements in asthma medication scores were also confirmed, and individual asthma symptoms (dysp nea, cough, wheezing, and sputum production) improved significantly, Despit e a reduction in use of antiasthma medication after ESS, the parameters of the pulmonary function tests did not change, Both subjectively and objectiv ely, it seems that ESS, when used to treat asthmatic patients with chronic rhinosinusitis, can play a significant role in the clinical improvement of asthma.