Use of immunotherapy in previously treated patients with allergic fungal sinusitis.
OBJECTIVE
Sixty patients with a diagnosis of allergic fungal sinusitis were studied. The objective was to show whether, after initial surgical removal of allergic mucin and polyps, immunotherapy decreases re-operation rates and office visits that require medical intervention.


METHODS
Sixty patients with adequate follow-up for at least 1 year were evaluated: 24 patients who did not receive immunotherapy and 36 patients whose treatment included postoperative immunotherapy.


RESULTS
The re-operation rates were 33.0% in those not receiving immunotherapy versus 11.1% in the treated group. Furthermore, the total number of postoperative office visits that required medical therapy decreased from 4.79 per patient to 3.17 with the addition of immunotherapy.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that immunotherapy is a beneficial part of the overall treatment regimen for allergic fungal sinusitis.
Bassichis
B A
BA
Department of Otolaryngology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75390, USA.
Marple
B F
BF
Mabry
R L
RL
Newcomer
M T
MT
Schwade
N D
ND
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009181:Mycoses / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome