The endoscopic grading system after the endoscopic sinus surgery

Postoperative endonasal observation using an endoscope is recommended to assess the results of endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). The effects of ESS are usually evaluated, however, using computed tomography (CT) or subjective symptoms because no appropriate endoscopic evaluation has been established. We propose postoperative endoscopic evaluation for patients with chronic sinusitis who underwent ESS and evaluated its feasibility. We set up scoring of 0 to 3 points, id est (i.e.)) 0, normal mucosa and connection to the nasofrontal duct, 1, the presence of the pathological mucosa around the frontal recess, but connection to the nasofrontal duct 2, the presence of the pathological mucosa around the frontal recess, and closing the nasofrontal duct, 3, closing of ostiomeatal complex. We scored 26 patients (45 sides) who underwent ESS and observed postoperatively for six months, dividing them into success and unsuccessful groups and comparing scores. No significant difference was seen between groups within six months after ESS, but significant differences were seen there after that increased over time. We found the new scoring to be particularly useful in ESS evaluation. (author)