Revision Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery

Refractory chronic rhinosinusitis can be challenging to treat. Initial treatment focuses on medical and nonsurgical treatments. If these treatments fail, revision endoscopic sinus surgery is an option. A plan for revision surgery must address anatomic factors contributing to recurrence. Preoperative imaging and sinonasal endoscopy are systematically reviewed; areas of disease and “danger” zones are identified. Traditional anatomic landmarks are often obscured or absent; thus, a set of consistent landmarks (unchanged despite prior surgery) are used to navigate the revision endoscopic sinus surgery. Wide sinusotomies permit visualization and access to disease intraoperatively. Large sinus openings also facilitate post-operative debridements in clinic, endoscopic disease monitoring, and topical sinus therapy.