title: Assessment of symptomatic patients after endoscopic sinus surgery with special reference to the frontal sinus: comparative radiologic analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To reveal the role of potential risk factors in frontal recess dissection (FRD), middle turbinate resection (MTR), sinonasal polyposis, and extension of disease in postoperative frontal sinus opacification by determining radiologic changes after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) in symptomatic cases using computed tomography (CT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from symptomatic patients after ESS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Postoperative CT scans were taken in all symptomatic patients during their least symptomatic period or after maximal medical therapy. The radiologic findings of each sinus were compared, and the outcome of ESS was statistically evaluated. Furthermore, FRD, MTR, sinonasal polyposis, and extension of disease were analyzed for postoperative frontal sinus opacification.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In our study, 101 sinuses of 61 symptomatic patients were examined. A significant improvement in opacification in all sinuses was detected postoperatively. Multivariate analysis of all potential risk factors revealed that postoperative frontal sinus opacification was affected only by sinonasal polyposis (odds ratio [OR] 3.32; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-10.58) and extension of disease (OR 16.93; 95% CI 4.33-66.23).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study revealed that surgical procedures such as FRD and/or MTR may not directly affect postoperative frontal sinus opacification. On the contrary, sinonasal polyposis and extension of disease seemed to be the main risk factors of this issue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Manisa Celal Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey. halisunlu@yahoo.com
authors.forename: H Halis
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Unlu
authors.forename: Gorkem
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Eskiizmir
authors.forename: Serdar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tarhan
authors.forename: Gulgun Yilmaz
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Ovali
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D004724:Endoscopy; D005260:Female; D015522:Frontal Sinusitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome