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Background: Clinical follow-up after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) allows for assessment of the sinonasal cavity, debridement, and tailoring of medical therapies. Frequency and timing of postoperative clinical visits is debated, but the impact of adherence on disease-specific outcomes is not well understood. In this longitudinal study, we assessed the association between follow-up adherence and quality of life (QOL) outcomes in the 12 months after ESS., Methods: A retrospective review of patients undergoing ambulatory ESS for CRS between 11/2016 and 1/2018 was performed. We assessed sociodemographic characteristics, radiographic severity, and QOL utilizing the 22-item sinonasal outcome test (SNOT-22). Patients were categorized as "non-adherent," "moderately-adherent," and "fully-adherent" to a 1-, 3- and 5-week postoperative visit schedule., Results: A total of 166 patients met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 55 (33.1%) were fully-adherent, 105 (63.2%) were moderately-adherent, and 6 (3.6%) were non-adherent within the 6 weeks following ESS. In the immediate postoperative period, fully-adherent patients demonstrated worse QOL (SNOT-22: 31.2 ± 23.1 vs 27.5 ± 17.6, P  = .047). This cohort also had greater psychological dysfunction at baseline and 12-months ( P  < .05) after ESS. Extra-nasal symptom scores increased at a lower rate in the fully-adherent cohort (0.12 vs 1.29 points per 6 months, P  = .038), as did ear/facial symptoms (1.17 vs 3.05 points per 6 months, P  = .044)., Conclusion: Despite worse symptom severity in the immediate postoperative period, patients who are more adherent to the follow-up schedule demonstrated slower return of symptoms in the extra-rhinological and ear-facial domains. These findings suggest that clinical adherence and management may impact the long-term evolution of ESS outcomes.

Objectives/hypothesis: Socioeconomic and demographic factors have a significant impact on healthcare utilization and surgical outcomes. The effect of these variables on baseline symptom severity and quality of life (QOL) after endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is not well established. Our goal was to investigate the association of sociodemographic factors on QOL before and after ESS, as reflected by the 22-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) score., Study Design: Retrospective case series., Methods: From October 2016 to August 2018, 244 patients with chronic rhinosinusitis who underwent ESS were included. Socioeconomic and demographic data, surgical characteristics, and baseline and postoperative SNOT-22 scores were recorded. Univariate and multivariate regression were performed to identify determinants of baseline symptom severity and improvement following ESS., Results: Nonwhite patients reported worse baseline symptoms severity (SNOT-22, 52.06 vs. 43.76, P = .021) compared to white patients, yet lower CRS symptoms at follow-up (SNOT-22, 23.38 vs. 28.63, P = .035). Relative improvement was higher in nonwhite patients as well (41.2% vs. 36.5%, Mann-Whitney U = 1,747, P = .015). In an adjusted multivariate logistic regression model, below-median income ($71,805 [California]) was associated with worse baseline symptom severity (β = 7.72; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.10, 14.26). Nonmarried patients (β = 6.78; 95% CI: 2.22, 13.48) and white patients (β = 8.45; 95% CI: 0.40, 13.97) had worse QOL at follow-up., Conclusions: Nonwhite patients and those with below-median income present with more severe CRS symptoms at baseline. However, a greater degree of absolute and relative QOL improvement was found in nonwhite and married patients following ESS. Improved understanding of the significance of socioeconomic and demographic factors and attention to cultural differences/marital status could have a substantial impact on ESS outcomes., Level of Evidence: 4 Laryngoscope, 130:297-302, 2020., (© 2019 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.)