A prospective pilot study on the effects of endoscopic sinus surgery on upper and lower airway performance.

Objective: The relationship between chronic rhinosinusitis, asthma and allergic rhinitis is well known, but only recently has the scientific community started to evaluate these as different manifestations of a common pathogenic phenomenon, considering them as a unified airway disease.

Methods: Twenty-two patients with chronic rhinosinusitis treated with endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) were included in the study. Sino-nasal assessment questionnaire (SNAQ) investigating subjective evaluation of sino-nasal state was administered to patients, while objective evaluations included nasal endoscopy, sinonasal CT, skin prick tests, nasal cytology, spirometry, bronchodilator responsiveness testing and sputum eosinophil count.