Allergic rhinitis and aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease as predictors of the olfactory outcome after endoscopic sinus surgery.

Background: Unlike the functional outcomes of endoscopic sinus surgery, which have been thoroughly studied, the effect of the surgery on olfactory performance and the relative predictive factors have not been adequately assessed by literature. Allergic rhinitis and aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) are examined as potential confounding factors of the olfactory outcome in patients with extensive nasal polyposis and rhinosinusitis treated with functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS).

Methods: A population of 116 adults with severe nasal polyposis was subjected to FESS after failure of the appropriate medical treatment.