Long-term improvements in quality-of-life after surgical therapy for pediatric sinonasal disease

Objective: To study long-term changes in quality-of-life (QOL) in children after surgery for chronic sinonasal disease. Design: Prospective, nonrandomized. Methods: Caregivers completed the SN-5 QOL instrument before surgery. Children underwent either adenoidectomy or endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). Caregivers then completed a survey <6 months (short-term) and between six and 24 months after surgery (long-term). Scores were compared using a paired t test. Results: Twenty-two children were enrolled (mean age, 5.7 years). The majority (59%) of children underwent ESS. The mean preoperative total score was 25.6. Postoperatively, the mean total score was 11.7 at short-term (P < 0.0001) and 11.5 at long-term follow-up (P < 0.0001). Short- and long-term postoperative scores for all domains were significantly different from preoperative scores. In the long-term scores, the domain with the greatest change was "emotional distress" (SRM 1.9) and with the smallest change was "allergy symptoms" (SRM 1.0). There were no significant differences between children who underwent adenoidectomy compared with ESS. Conclusions: After adenoidectomy or ESS, caregivers observe a long-term improvement in QOL of children with sinonasal disease.