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Purpose of Review: The purpose of this review is to present the most important recent developments concerning biologics as a therapeutic option for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS)., Recent Findings: mAb anti-IL-4 receptor α (Dupilumab) was recently approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for patients with CRSwNP and four other biologics are under investigation, with promising preliminary results., Summary: CRS is a disease associated with a significant symptom burden and high-indirect costs. Despite recent advances in combined approaches, persistent symptoms or recurrences are not uncommon. Monoclonal antibodies, used mainly to treat asthma, have recently been shown to have a positive impact on controlling the symptoms of CRS and reducing the need for endoscopic sinus surgery. Dupilumab, mepolizumab, reslizumab, benralizumab and omalizumab are discussed and their mechanism of action, risk and current evidence on efficacy are presented. Preliminary studies show encouraging results with relatively few side effects. Once the high cost of such therapies is addressed, they could prove an important adjuvant therapy for patients with CRS. Large-scale clinical trials designed to evaluate them are called for.

Background: The body of knowledge regarding rhinosinusitis(RS) continues to expand, with rapid growth in number of publications, yet substantial variability in the quality of those presentations. In an effort to both consolidate and critically appraise this information, rhinologic experts from around the world have produced the International Consensus Statement on Allergy and Rhinology: Rhinosinusitis (ICAR:RS)., Methods: Evidence-based reviews with recommendations(EBRRs) were developed for scores of topics, using previously reported methodology. Where existing evidence was insufficient for an EBRR, an evidence-based review (EBR)was produced. The sections were then synthesized and the entire manuscript was then reviewed by all authors for consensus., Results: The resulting ICAR:RS document addresses multiple topics in RS, including acute RS (ARS), chronic RS (CRS)with and without nasal polyps (CRSwNP and CRSsNP), recurrent acute RS (RARS), acute exacerbation of CRS (AECRS), and pediatric RS., Conclusion: As a critical review of the RS literature, ICAR:RS provides a thorough review of pathophysiology and evidence-based recommendations for medical and surgical treatment. It also demonstrates the significant gaps in our understanding of the pathophysiology and optimal management of RS. Too often the foundation upon which these recommendations are based is comprised of lower level evidence. It is our hope that this summary of the evidence in RS will point out where additional research efforts may be directed., (© 2016 ARS-AAOA, LLC.)

Meta-analysis of both large outcome studies as well as cohort studies support the safety and efficacy of Endoscopic Sinus Surgery for Chronic Rhinosinusitis. The efficacy of endoscopic sinus surgery is demonstrated in the improvement of both disease-specific and generic QOL as well as objective measures. However, this must be interpreted together with a well-recognized long-term 15-20 % revision rate, seen more often in patients with ASA trias and cystic fibrosis as well as osteitis and previous surgery. The effect of surgery is higher in managing nasal obstruction (effect size 1.7) and less so hyposmia (effect size 0.8). Allergy has an additive role on the symptomatology of CRS; however, its role if any on the outcome of ESS for CRS is unclear. The concurrent presence of aspiring sensitivity and asthma is associated with increased disease burden and more revision surgeries. Improved phenotyping of CRS may lead in the future to better tailoring of surgical treatments.

The European Position Paper on Rhinosinusitis and Nasal Polyps 2012 is the update of similar evidence based position papers published in 2005 and 2007.The document contains chapters on definitions and classification, we now also proposed definitions for difficult to treat rhinosinusitis, control of disease and better definitions for rhinosinusitis in children. More emphasis is placed on the diagnosis and treatment of acute rhinosinusitis. Throughout the document the terms chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps are used to further point out differences in pathophysiology and treatment of these two entities. There are extensive chapters on epidemiology and predisposing factors, inflammatory mechanisms, (differential) diagnosis of facial pain, genetics, cystic fibrosis, aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease, immunodeficiencies, allergic fungal rhinosinusitis and the relationship between upper and lower airways. The chapters on paediatric acute and chronic rhinosinusitis are totally rewritten. Last but not least all available evidence for management of acute rhinosinusitis and chronic rhinosinusitis with or without nasal polyps in adults and children is analyzed and presented and management schemes based on the evidence are proposed.

The European Position Paper on Rhinosinusitis and Nasal Polyps 2012 is the update of similar evidence based position papers published in 2005 and 2007. The document contains chapters on definitions and classification, we now also proposed definitions for difficult to treat rhinosinusitis, control of disease and better definitions for rhinosinusitis in children. More emphasis is placed on the diagnosis and treatment of acute rhinosinusitis. Throughout the document the terms chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps (CRSsNP) and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) are used to further point out differences in pathophysiology and treatment of these two entities. There are extensive chapters on epidemiology and predisposing factors, inflammatory mechanisms, (differential) diagnosis of facial pain, genetics, cystic fibrosis, aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease, immunodeficiencies, allergic fungal rhinosinusitis and the relationship between upper and lower airways. The chapters on paediatric acute and chronic rhinosinusitis are totally rewritten. Last but not least all available evidence for management of acute rhinosinusitis and chronic rhinosinusitis with or without nasal polyps in adults and children is analyzed and presented and management schemes based on the evidence are proposed. This executive summary for otorhinolaryngologists focuses on the most important changes and issues for otorhinolaryngologists. The full document can be downloaded for free on the website of this journal: http://www.rhinologyjournal.com.

Purpose of Review: Fungi have been suggested to play an important role in the pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). This review describes the recent knowledge concerning the role of fungi in the pathogenesis of CRS and allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS) and the clinical implications for treatment., Recent Findings: Recent studies show that, although there are several potential deficits in the innate and potentially also in the acquired immunity of CRS patients that might reduce or change their ability to react to fungi, there are not many arguments to suggest a causative role for fungi in CRS with or without nasal polyps. However, due to the intrinsic or induced change in immunity of CRS patients, fungi might have a disease-modifying role. The fact that AFRS is more prevalent in warm and humid areas may point to fungi as a factor in this disease., Summary: Almost a decade after the launching of the hypothesis by Ponikau, the absence of convincing immunological data or evidence for clinical improvement of CRS upon therapy with antifungal agents now means that the hypothesis that fungi play a role in a majority of the cases of CRS has to be rejected and antifungal treatment should not be used.

Purpose of Review: This review aims to characterize gustatory rhinitis using recent advances in pathophysiology and novel surgical and medical management strategies., Recent Findings: A significant amount of research has recently focused on the role of capsaicin and its receptors (TRPV1 and VR1), which can be found on sensory c-fibers in human nasal mucosa and play a critical role in the development of nasal hyperresponsiveness to environmental factors. Blocking the nasal sensory nerve stimulation (via the use of capsaicin desensitization) or outgoing parasympathetic innervation (via endoscopic Vidian neurectomy) may control nasal hyperresponsiveness and therefore prevent the induction of rhinitis symptoms., Summary: Gustatory rhinitis is a conspicuous type of food-associated rhinorrhea, which can occasionally be associated with significant quality-of-life impairment. It results from an abnormal gustatory reflex associated with a hyperactive, nonadrenergic, noncholinergic, or peptidergic neural system. The use of nasal ipratropium bromide may be effective, if avoidance is not possible or successful. We have had excellent results with the use of intranasal capsaicin or endoscopic vidian neurectomy (including removal of 4-5 mm of the nerve between pterygopalatine fossa and the sphenoid floor) in patients with nonallergic rhinitis, and these could potentially be used as a last resort in patients with intractable gustatory rhinitis.

Gustatory rhinitis is characterized by watery, uni- or bilateral rhinorrhea occurring after ingestion of solid or liquid foods, most often hot and spicy. It usually begins within a few minutes of ingestion of the implicated food, and is not associated with pruritus, sneezing, nasal congestion or facial pain. It is considered to be a non-immunological reaction. Immunohistological and pharmacological observations suggest that this disease is most likely caused by stimulation of trigeminal sensory nerve endings located at the upper aerodigestive track. Recent evidence suggests that sensory nerve stimulations could be associated with a parasympathetic reflex and activation of cholinergic muscarinic receptors, sensitive to atropine. There are various types of gustatory rhinitis, including age-related, posttraumatic, postsurgical and associated with cranial nerve neuropathy. Avoidance of the implicated foods, is the first treatment option, but it is rarely sufficient. The intranasal topical administration of anticholinergic agents such as atropine, either prophylactically or therapeutically has been shown effective. Surgical therapy in the form of posterior nasal nerve resection or vidian nerve neurectomy is not recommended because of its short lasting result and frequent unpleasant side effects.

Background: It has been suggested that an exaggerated immune response to fungi is crucial in the pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Based on this rationale, the use of topical antifungals (amphotericin B) has been advocated. Studies on its clinical effectiveness are, however, contradictory., Objectives: To examine the effect of nasal antifungal treatment on secreted mediators in samples of nasal lavage fluid from patients with CRS with or without nasal polyps (NP)., Methods: Part two of a prospective double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter clinical trial investigating the effect of 13 weeks of treatment with amphotericin B or placebo on the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines and growth factors (i.e., IL-1beta, IL-1RA, IL-2, IL-2R, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12 (p40/p70 subunits), IL-13, IL-15, IL-17, TNF-alpha, IFN-alpha, IFN-gamma, G-CSF, GM-CSF, MIP-1alpha, MIP-1beta, IP-10, MIG, eotaxin, RANTES, MCP-1, MCP-2, MCP-3, VEGF, EGF, FGF-basic, HGF, Gro-alpha) and albumin via a fluorescent enzyme immunoassay in nasal lavage specimens of CRS patients with or without NP., Results: Topical amphotericin B had no significant effect on the level of any of the tested pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors in CRS nasal lavage samples. Treatment with placebo, however, increased the level of MIP-1alpha and MIP-1beta, which are mediators involved in wound healing., Conclusions: Topical amphotericin B has no significant effect on activation markers of nasal inflammatory cells in chronic rhinosinusitis with or without nasal polyps.

Purpose of Review: To review the literature on the role of fungi in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) pathogenesis and the effect of antifungal drug therapy and antifungal immunotherapy., Recent Findings: This paper reviews the most recent articles investigating the role of fungi in CRS pathogenesis. In addition to possible aberrant innate and adaptive antifungal immune responses and fungus antihost effects, which all may explain disease development, the effect of antifungal drug therapy and antifungal immunotherapy is reviewed., Summary: Although fungi can be detected in the nose and paranasal sinuses of nearly all patients with CRS and are present in almost all healthy controls, various studies suggest that there may be mechanisms by which fungi exert an effect on sinus mucosa in susceptible individuals only. Future studies will have to clarify the role of fungi in CRS, which fungal organisms, if at all, may be pathogenic and what exactly characterizes the immunological response to fungi that potentially results in the development of disease. Presently, in the absence of convincing immunological data and evidence for clinical improvement of CRS upon therapy with antifungal agents, the case against the fungus remains unproven.

Objectives: The association between adenoidal hypertrophy and rhinosinusitis with upper airway inflammation is increasingly recognized; however, no study has used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess the changes in adenoid size after medical treatment of rhinosinusitis., Methods: Thirteen children referred to a tertiary allergy clinic with symptoms of rhinosinusitis received medical treatment over a 4-month period. All underwent MRI before and after treatment. The medical treatment regimen comprised a short course of oral antibiotics and oral steroids and a longer course of oral antihistamines and intranasal steroids., Results: The pretreatment MRI demonstrated enlarged adenoids and rhinosinusitis in all 13 children, with evidence of extensive rhinosinusitis in 9 of the 13. The treatment resulted in an improvement in overall symptom score; the most significant improvement was seen in mouth breathing. The posttreatment MRI showed a statistically significant reduction in adenoid size and adenoid/nasopharynx ratio, which was associated with a significant decrease in sinus involvement on MRI., Conclusions: There is a high association between adenoidal hypertrophy and rhinosinusitis in the context of an allergy clinic. Magnetic resonance imaging can document the changes in adenoid size associated with resolution of rhinosinusitis. Further studies are necessary to validate these pilot data and further assess the effects of medical treatment and the role of MRI in adenoidal hypertrophy.