Change in nasal congestion index after treatment in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis

BACKGROUND The management of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP) involves both surgical and medical approaches, and remains a controversial subject. OBJECTIVE The objective of this prospective, randomized, controlled trial was to compare the medical and surgical treatments of CRSwNP in terms of their effect on the nasal congestion index (NCI). METHODS Forty-eight patients with CRSwNP were randomized either to medical or surgical therapy. Pretreatment and 3- and 6-month posttreatment assessments of the visual analog scale score, the 20-Item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test, saccharine clearance time, nasal endoscopy, and NCI measurement with acoustic rhinometry were performed. Forty-one subjects were included in the analysis. RESULTS Both the medical and surgical interventions for CRSwNP resulted in significant improvement in the visual analog scale score, 20-Item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test, saccharine clearance time, and nasal endoscopic examination scores. There was no difference between the two groups in terms of the percentage change from baseline for any of the parameters at the 6-month posttreatment assessment. NCI showed no significant difference from baseline. Similarly, no significant difference was found between the medical and surgical groups in terms of their effect on the NCI (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION Because NCI does not correlate with standard subjective measures in outcomes for this group of patients, it cannot be used as an outcome measurement of treatment of subjects with CRSwNP. Results of this prospective randomized study did not find any additional benefit of surgical therapy over medical therapy in subjects with CRSwNP.