Sinus surgery at German ENT departments - a regional survey

Abstract

Sinus surgery has evolved dramatically over the last decades towards endonasal endoscopic techniques for the treatment of benign and malignant diseases of the paranasal sinuses. The aim of this survey was to capture the current state of sinus surgery in German ENT departments. A questionnaire with questions regarding number of surgeries, surgical technique, interdisciplinary cooperation, postoperative care, CT-checklists, surgical training and quality of life was sent to all ENT departments in Germany. 79.5 % of questionnaires were answered and returned. 89.1 % of ENT departments state that they conduct 200-400 or more than 400 sinus surgeries per year for benign diseases of the paranasal sinuses. The number of sinus surgeries for malignancies of the paranasal sinuses is much smaller. Not all of the departments who take part in interdisciplinary tumor boards work in interdisciplinary surgical teams. Most of the departments declare that they use video endoscopy and surgical navigation systems for their surgeries. Surgical training for sinus surgery usually starts in year 2 to 4 and almost all trainees visit dissection courses during their training. In more than half of the departments CT checklists are used for preoperative analyses of CT scans. Quality of life before and after surgery is evaluated in only a few departments. Our investigation is a representative survey of current practice in sinus surgery in ENT departments in Germany.