Adenoidectomy With Balloon Catheter Sinuplasty: A Randomized Trial for Pediatric Rhinosinusitis

Objectives/Hypothesis To compare treatment outcomes in pediatric patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) using adenoidectomy and maxillary sinus irrigation with or without balloon catheter sinuplasty (BCS). Methods Prospective, randomized, and blinded. Patients between 2 and 12 years who met clinical and computed tomography criteria for CRS unresponsive to maximal medical therapy and no prior sinus‐ or adenoid‐related procedures were eligible. Twenty‐five patients were randomized, had surgery, and completed the follow‐up. The control group underwent adenoidectomy with maxillary sinus irrigation alone; the treatment group underwent the same, with the addition of maxillary BCS for the maxillary sinus irrigation. Patients and parents were blinded to group assignment throughout the follow‐up time frame. A validated questionnaire, the Sinus and Nasal Quality of Life Survey (SN‐5), was used to measure health status changes and quality of life (QOL) at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months postintervention. Data was analyzed using t tests and multivariate linear regression. Results There were 12 patients in the BCS group and 13 in the control group. Other than a higher atopic history in the control group (P = 0.047), there were no significant differences (P = 0.07) in the two groups (demographics and baseline SN‐5 scores). Following surgery, both groups demonstrated similar improvement in QOL scores and median SN‐5 scores in all domains (number of sinus infections, nasal obstruction, allergy symptoms, emotional distress, and activity limitations). Conclusion The addition of BCS to adenoidectomy/maxillary sinus irrigation did not provide additional QOL and sinonasal symptom improvement in the surgical treatment of pediatric CRS. Level of Evidence 1b Laryngoscope, 128:2893–2897, 2018