title: Saline irrigations following sinus surgery - a controlled, single blinded, randomized trial.
abstract: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common health problem. If medical treatment fails, endonasal sinus surgery is a valuable treatment option. A thorough postsurgical treatment is needed including, among others, nasal saline irrigations (NSI). In this prospective, controlled, single blinded, randomized trial, we aimed to evaluate efficacy of nasal saline irrigations following endonasal sinus surgery in CRS-patients with nasal polyps.
  
  
  
  We examined patient's nasal symptoms, general quality of life and postoperative condition of the mucosa. We also investigated whether or not NSI reduced the number of missed workdays after surgery (MWD). Patients were randomized into an irrigation and non-irrigation arm.
  
  
  
  Following treatment, mean nasal sum-score in the irrigation arm was 4.4 and in the non-irrigation arm it was 6.3. Accordingly, mean general sum-score in the irrigation arm was 2.5 and in the non-irrigation arm 4.8. Thus, nasal irrigation led to a more pronounced improvement of nasal and general symptoms than in the non-irrigation arm. No differences were observed in postoperative condition of mucosa or number of MWD.
  
  
  
  Nasal irrigation improves symptoms score after ESS in patients with CRSwNP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Giotakis
authors.affiliation: Siemens and Co, Arzbacher Str. 78, 56130 Bad Ems, Germany.
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Karow
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Scheithauer
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Clinical Centre Karlsruhe, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Riechelmann
mesh_terms: D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000328:Adult; D001284:Atrophy; D002908:Chronic Disease; D002921:Cicatrix; D004724:Endoscopy; D004844:Epistaxis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055556:Nasal Lavage / Q000379:methods*; D015508:Nasal Obstruction; D009298:Nasal Polyps / Q000628:therapy*; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000628:therapy*; D012492:Salts / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000628:therapy*; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007507:Therapeutic Irrigation / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: C427003:Emser Salt; D012492:Salts; D012965:Sodium Chloride