Correlation between patient-based questionnaires and computer tomography staging in chronic rhinosinusitis

Abstract

To investigate the relationship between the patient-based questionnaires and the computed tomography (CT) staging in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Quantitative data of 121 preoperative recruits with CRS were collected by using the Lund-Mackay CT staging system, a visual analogue scale (VAS), sino-nasal outcome test-20 (SNOT-20), and the medical outcome study short-form 36 items (SF-36). The patients were classified into several subgroups according to whether CRS was associated with nasal polyps (NP) or not, sex, duration of disease, and educational background. Correlation between the patient-based questionnaires and the CT staging were analyzed in the total cohort patients and subgroups. In the total cohort patients, there were significant correlations between SNOT-20 and SF-36 (r = -0.561, P < 0.01), SNOT-20 and VAS (r = 0.743, P < 0.01), and SF-36 and VAS (r = -0.504, P < 0.01), however, the CT staging did not correlate with the patient-based questionnaires (P > 0.05). Significant but weak correlations were found between the CT staging and the patient-based questionnaires in the CRS with NP subgroup (CT vs SNOT-20, r = 0.318, P = 0.005; CT vs SF-36, r = -0.358, P = 0.002; CT vs VAS, r = 0.358, P = 0.002). Compared between CRS with NP and without NP subgroup, there were statistic differences on the Lund-Mackay CT stage and the SNOT-20 and VAS scores (t value was 3.249, -2.409, -2.957, respectively, all P < 0.05). The patient-based questionnaires correlate well with each other, but CT staging correlated significantly but weakly with the patient-based questionnaires only in the CRS with NP subgroup. Nasal polyps do not appear to be responsible for the adverse effects of CRS on quality of life.