Quality of Life Improvement in Concurrent Septorhinoplasty and Endoscopic Sinus Surgery

Objectives: Septorhinoplasty (SRPL) and functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) are two frequently performed surgeries to improve quality of life (QoL) in patients with nasal symptoms. It has been demonstrated as a safe combination regarding complication rates, but patient satisfaction in concurrent surgery has not been adequately studied yet. Methods: Patients undergoing sole FESS due to chronic rhinosinusitis (n = 57), sole SRPL (n = 148), and concurrent surgery (n = 62) were prospectively evaluated for their disease-specific QoL before and one year after surgery. Each procedure was performed by the same surgeon (OCB). For SRPL, the patient-reported outcome measures Rhinoplasty Outcomes Evaluation (ROE) and Functional Rhinoplasty Outcome Inventory (FROI-17) were utilized, and for chronic rhinosinusitis, the Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-22 (SNOT22). Results: All three groups showed significant improvement in the postoperative QoL measurements (all p < 0.01). The postoperative improvements were slightly smaller in the concurrent surgery group compared with the single surgery groups measured with ROE (combined: +55.2 +/- 9.3, single: +58.8 +/- 9.8, p = 0.02), FROI total score (combined: +47.6 +/- 5.2, single: +49 +/- 5.4; p = 0.08) and SNOT22 (combined: +33.1 +/- 6.7, single +34.5 +/- 7, p = 0.26). Conclusions: SRPL, FESS, and combined surgery improve disease-specific QoL. When applicable, surgeons may offer the benefits of a combined procedure without compromising the QoL gain.