Effect of laryngopharyngeal reflux on the improvement of chronic rhinosinusitis without polyposis after primary endoscopic sinus surgery.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the influence of laryngopharyngeal reflux on the improvement of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) in patients who underwent endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS).

Patients And Methods: A total of 48 patients (28 males, 20 females; mean age 41.6±15.1 years; range 18 to 75 years) with CRS without polyposis were assessed for the presence of gastric reflux with Reflux Symptom Index (RSI) and Reflux Finding Scores (RFS) before undergoing primary ESS. Patients with a RSI >12 and RFS >7 were included in the reflux(+) and those with either score under these cutoffs in the reflux(-) group. Improvement scores were accepted as the difference between preoperative scores and postoperative sixth-month Lund-Mackay Radiology Scores, Lund-Kennedy Endoscopy Scores (LKES), and Sinusitis Symptom Scores (SSS).

Results: There was no significant difference between improvements of the reflux(+) and reflux(-) groups in terms of radiology, endoscopy, and symptom scores (p>0.05). However, preoperative and postoperative six-month radiology scores were significantly higher in reflux(+) patients (p<0.01). Also, postoperative six-month LKES were significantly higher in reflux(+) patients. No statistically significant differences were detected between preoperative and postoperative six-month SSS in reflux(+) or reflux(-) patients.

Conclusion: Laryngopharyngeal reflux was associated with worse radiology and endoscopy scores in CRS without polyposis; however, it had no role on the improvement scores after primary ESS.