[Effectiveness and tolerance of nasal irrigation following paranasal sinus surgery].
BACKGROUND
Cleaning of the nose with saline solution after endonasal sinus surgery is very often used for postoperative treatment. But the efficiency and acceptance of this method has not been examined thoroughly until now.


METHODS
Performance, effectiveness and acceptance of the postoperative treatment was evaluated in a questionnaire. One hundred thirty-four of 180 patients answered.


RESULTS
One hundred twenty-one patients (66.1%) cleaned their nose with Ems brine; 28.1% of the patients used saline solution. The nasal douche was the cleaning device used by 39.7% of the patients, whereas 53.7% sniffed the solution from their hand. Ninety-five percent found that this kind of treatment was easy to do; 84.7% found it equally pleasant. There was no difference between using Ems brine or NaCl solution nor between using the nasal douche or sniffing out of the hand. Fifty-one point four percent of the patients with an follow-up of 27 to 36 months rinsed their nose up to now; 55.9% resumed nasal irrigation after an interval.


CONCLUSIONS
Rinsing of the nose after endonasal sinus surgery is judged positively by most of our patients and is integrated well in the daily routine. Although it is most common to sniff saline solution out of the hand, existing research recommends usage of warm Ems brine in combination with the nasal douche.
Keerl
R
R
Klinik für HNO-Krankheiten, Kopf-, Hals- und Plastische Gesichtschirurgie, Kommunikationsstörungen, Städtisches Klinikum Fulda.
Weber
R
R
Müller
C
C
Schick
B
B
D005005:Ethmoid Sinus / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009298:Nasal Polyps / Q000601:surgery*; D010254:Paranasal Sinus Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D010349:Patient Compliance; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000379:methods*; D012648:Self Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D007507:Therapeutic Irrigation / Q000379:methods