title: Stages of nasal mucosal transitional course after functional endoscopic sinus surgery and their clinical indications.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to explore the transitional process of sinus cavity mucosa after functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) and divide it into different stages.
  
  
  METHODS
  The morphological characteristics of sinus cavity mucosa after FESS were continuously observed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over 90% of the nasal and sinus cavities got clean within 1-2 weeks, over 80% of the operative cavities experienced a reaction to mucosa removal or regenerative diseases within 3-10 weeks, such as mucosal edema, vesicles, granulation tissue, mini-polyps, fibrous hyperplasia and adhesion, which competed against the mucosa epithelialization process. After careful treatment, 90% of the nasal and sinus cavities finished epithelialization, and 60% of them completed epithelialization within 11-14 weeks after operation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The recovery process of mucosa after FESS can be divided into 3 stages: the stage of clean operative cavity, the stage of mucosal transition and the stage of complete epithelialization. Proper management at the 3 stages is very essential to the whole curable effect of FESS.
authors.affiliation: Otorhinolaryngological Hospital, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Geng
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Hongyan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Huabin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jianbo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Hexin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004724:Endoscopy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D009298:Nasal Polyps / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D010254:Paranasal Sinus Diseases / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*