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Longitudinal improvement and stability of the SNOT‐22 survey in the evaluation of surgical management for chronic rhinosinusitis
Author(s) -
DeConde Adam S.,
Mace Jess C.,
Alt Jeremiah A.,
Rudmik Luke,
Soler Zachary M.,
Smith Timothy L.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
international forum of allergy and rhinology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.503
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 2042-6984
pISSN - 2042-6976
DOI - 10.1002/alr.21458
Subject(s) - medicine , chronic rhinosinusitis , sinusitis , quality of life (healthcare) , cohort , prospective cohort study , endoscopic sinus surgery , cohort study , analysis of variance , physical therapy , surgery , nursing
Background Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) have significant quality‐of‐life (QOL) improvements following endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). These improvements remain stable and persist between 6 months and 20 months as measured by the Rhinosinusitis Disability Index and the Chronic Sinusitis Survey. There has yet to be an evaluation of the longitudinal stability of the 22‐item Sino‐Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT‐22) after ESS in patients with CRS. Methods Adults with medically recalcitrant CRS who were considered surgical candidates were enrolled in a prospective, multicenter, observational cohort study from February 2011 to February 2013. Baseline evaluation of subjects included assessment of clinical characteristics, measures of CRS‐specific disease severity, and QOL evaluation using the SNOT‐22. Subjects were then re‐evaluated at approximately 6‐month, 12‐month, and 18‐month intervals postoperatively. Data was analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Bonferroni corrections for matched pairwise comparisons. Results A total of 110 patients completed baseline evaluations and follow‐up for all 3 postoperative time points. Significant improvement in SNOT‐22 scores was seen between baseline and 6 months across both SNOT‐22 total and subdomain scores ( p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between the 6‐month, 12‐month, and 18‐month time points in the total SNOT‐22 score or its domains ( p ≥ 0.125) for both the entire cohort or subgroups ( p ≥ 0.077). Conclusion Postoperative improvement in CRS‐specific QOL and symptom severity, as measured by the SNOT‐22, suggest stability and durability between 6 months and 18 months. Further study on the longitudinal stability of the SNOT‐22 past the 18‐month time frame will help further refine clinical study of CRS and provide further understanding of temporal improvements following ESS.