Surgical management of chronic rhinosinusitis

Patients with recurrent or chronic sinusitis frequently want a cure. When medical therapy has been ineffective, they often turn to surgeons for help. It is important to educate patients that surgery, although effective in some patients, does not always cure the disease. Surgery may help lessen disease frequency or severity. Surgery provides one component of an overall comprehensive plan for management of sinus disease, which frequently requires ongoing medical therapy after surgery. The goal of this article is to provide practicing allergists and immunologists with an over-view of some of the surgical thinking and techniques related to sinus disease.