Evaluation of quality of life after sinus surgery using Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22)

Abstract

Chronic rhinosinusitis is a multifactor disease that affects the patient’s quality of life. Quality of life questionnaires help doctor in daily practice, it become a very important part of good understanding of the patient disease. The SNOT-22 proved capable of differentiating groups of patients with sinonasal diseases from individuals without nasal disease. Also to evaluate the change of symptoms after the period of time. Objective 1. To evaluate the quality of life before and after surgical treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis. 2. To identify the main symptoms of disease manifestation. Methods In this case - control study, performed during 2011 – 2014, the patients were tested using SNOT-22 questionnaire. The research group consisted of the patients of the Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps and patients without nasal polyps. Patients have been tested with questionnaire in 2011 before the treatment, secondly – 3 months after the operation and then 3 years after the surgery date. In the preoperative and postoperative group we included 36 patients that fill questionnaire before and after surgery 3 months, 15 woman (41,7%) and 21 man (58,3%). At this time of the study 21 patient was evaluated after 3 years of the surgery. Results There was a statistically significant decrease of scores in patient reported SNOT- 22 scores after 3 months of the operation (the mean sum score was 22,5) in comparison with group before the surgery at the initial test (mean score – 52,4), respectively (p<0.05). Quality of life was vastly better in case of patients after the three years of surgical treatment also (mean score – 27,9). People with rhinosinusitis mostly complain of nasal ostruction (85,7% chose this answer), need to blow the nose (80,9%), nasal secretion (71,4%), thick discharge from the nose (80,9%), and change of olfaction or taste (61,9%). The sym . [...].