Maximal Medical Therapy for Chronic Rhinosinusitis: A Survey of Chinese Otolaryngologists

• Published in: Ear, nose, & throat journal Vol. 99; no. 3; pp. 159 - 164
• Main Authors: Huang, Zhenxiao, Ma, Jingying, Sun, Yan, Zhou, Bing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.03.2020; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Administration, Intranasal; Adrenal Cortex Hormones - therapeutic use; Adult; Allergies; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; Antibiotics; China; Chronic Disease; Endoscopy - statistics & numerical data; Female; Health Care Surveys; Humans; Male; Medical treatment; Middle Aged; Nasal Lavage - statistics & numerical data; Nasal Surgical Procedures - statistics & numerical data; Nose; Otolaryngologists - statistics & numerical data; Otolaryngology; Practice Patterns, Physicians' - statistics & numerical data; Rhinitis; Rhinitis - therapy; Sinuses; Sinusitis; Sinusitis - therapy; China; chronic rhinosinusitis; survey; maximal medical therapy; antibiotics; steroid; saline irrigation
• ISSN: 0145-5613; 1942-7522
• DOI: 10.1177/0145561319852588

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical practice patterns in maximal medical therapy (MMT) before endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) by Chinese otolaryngologists. An anonymous web-based survey of MMT was performed. This survey assessed types of therapies, the frequency of use, duration of use, and demographic data of respondents. A total of 134 (26.8%) questionnaires were completed and returned. The majority (62.69%) of respondents would consider surgery less than 3 months after commencing MMT, 33.58% would wait 3 to 6 months. Intranasal corticosteroid sprays, saline irrigation, oral antibiotics, oral mucolytics, and oral Chinese herbals were the most commonly used therapies and listed as “often (>70%)”. Macrolides were most commonly antibiotics prescribed among the clinicians surveyed (51.49%). Intranasal corticosteroid sprays, oral antibiotics, oral mucolytics, nasal saline irrigations, and oral Chinese herbals are most commonly prescribed by the majority of Chinese otolaryngologists as MMT for CRS. Current practice patterns of MMT among Chinese otolaryngologists are not uniformly based on evidence-based guidelines.