Reversibility of mucociliary clearance and olfaction impairment following endoscopic sinus surgery: a prospective observational study

Abstract

Chronic rhinosinusitis is associated with altered mucociliary clearance and olfaction. The study aimed to analyse the reversibility of impairment and endoscopic factors predicting changes in mucociliary clearance and olfactory parameters. This prospective study included patients undergoing functional endoscopic sinus surgery for medically refractory chronic rhinosinusitis. Pre- and post-operative measurements of mucociliary clearance, olfactory thresholds, and identification scores were recorded. Of the 96 patients, 65.6 per cent had polyposis and 80.2 per cent underwent primary surgery. Improvements in mucociliary clearance and olfaction scores were seen in all patients, with greater reversibility of impairment in patients with polyposis and in those who underwent revision surgery. The presence of polyps correlated significantly with changes in mucociliary clearance and olfaction. The study highlights improvements in mucociliary clearance, olfactory thresholds and identification scores after functional endoscopic sinus surgery in chronic rhinosinusitis with or without nasal polyposis, as well as for primary and revision surgeries. Adequate post-operative care and prevention of polyps recurrence help to improve mucociliary clearance and olfaction scores.