10) Results of this research cannot be accurately compared with others [Main aim of this research is to encourage others to perform basic research for their own doctor-patient communications]
11) Doctor/ Surgeon bias [This is true but excusable; a patient wants to know about the possibility of risks and likelihood of success if treated by a particular doctor/surgeon]
12) No help of statistician [I humbly apologize to statisticians and epidemiologists]
13) The text does not conform to that expected in a journal [That is why this website appeared]
14) This article many not gain many citations [The author is not publishing for citations]
Objectives
Objectives have been already mentioned. However, important symptomatic factors to be considered are:
1) Which symptom(s) improve, remain the same or worsen? 2) Is the obtained information useful for patient-doctor communication? Patients/Subjects and Follow-up Periods
Efforts were made to obtain medium and long-term symptomatic outcomes from 100 patients over 10 years. All the subjects had freedom of expression and questionnaires were ticked without the surgeon’s influence.
All patients had been asked to return for evaluation for a long time and 72 subjects (mean age 37.36 years, 39M: 33F) attended outpatients between 1 and 10 years to be evaluated: 64 in the MTG and 8 in the LTG.
For the 72 patients, the mean follow-up period was 30.19 months (range 12 to 110 months).
Patients/Subjects and Follow-up Periods in Other Reports
Among FESS and RESS reports, follow-up periods vary e.g. minimum mean of 12 months (101 FESS Pts and 24
RESS Pts with chronic rhinosinusitis and nasal polyps)1 , mean of 22.8 months (753 FESS Pts and 90 RESS Pts with polyps etc)2 , a mean of 3.1 years (208 ESS Pts with chronic rhinosinusitis)3, a mean of 5 years (retrospective study- 132 polyp patients and endoscopic surgical treatment)4, a mean of 5 years (109 – 12 = 90 Pts with chronic rhinosinusitis and 70% had polyps)5 and a mean of 7.8 years (72 FESS with chronic sinusitis patients)6.
Patients/Subjects and Symptoms
Among 64 medium-term group patients, the more common symptoms were postnasal drip, rhinorrhoea, nasal obstruction and facial pain; among 8 long-term group patients, the more common symptoms were postnasal drip, rhinorrhoea, nasal obstruction and facial pain. Anosmia was not one of the main symptoms before surgery (only 4 patients).
Patients/Subjects and Symptoms in Another Report
Four main symptoms were nasal obstruction, rhinorrhoea and facial pain and anosmia.4
Symptomatic Improvement or Relief/Resolution
With a mean follow-up period of 2.52 years in this series of 72 patients, symptomatic improvement were as follows:
(i) medium-term group (1-5 Years, n = 64)- postnasal drip (65.57%), rhinorrhoea (54.24%), nasal obstruction
(39.22%), facial pain (62.5%), sneezing (44.83%) and cacosmia (73.08%), and (ii) long-term group (5-10 Years, n =
8)- postnasal drip (62.5%), rhinorrhoea (83.3%), nasal obstruction (75%), facial pain 5 (100%), sneezing (0%) and cacosmia (80%).
Symptomatic Improvement or Relief/Resolution in Other Reports
With mean follow-up of 3.1 years, 32 % of all patients with pan-sinus surgery described complete resolution of complaints.3 With an average follow-up of 7.8 years, 98.4% had symptomatic improvement.6
Patients/Subjects and Revision ESS
In the medium-term group (1-5 Years, n = 64), 11 / 64 patients (17.19%) underwent RESS and in the long-term group (5-10 years, n = 8), 5 / 8 patients (62.5%) underwent RESS. With a mean follow up of 30.19 months, 22.22% (16 / 72 patients) underwent RESS.
Patients/ Subjects and Revision ESS in Other Reports
With a mean follow-up period of 22.8 months, 11.95% (90 / 753 patients) underwent RESS.2 In another report with a
3-year period, 8% (10 out of 125 patients) underwent RESS.7
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