Background: Endoscopic modified Lothrop procedure (EMLP) is used to treat patients who fail conventional sinus surgery. The failure rate of a primary EMLP is reported to be between 5% and 32%. The failure rate of revision EMLP has not been reported. We present our institutions data regarding the outcome of patients requiring revision EMLP.
Methods: Data was collected prospectively. Patients undergoing primary EMLP between January 2001 and December 2013 with a minimum follow-up of 6 months were included. Information related to demographics, asthma status, aspirin sensitivity, 22-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) score, Lund-Mackay scores, intraoperative findings, and endoscopic ostium assessment were collected.
Results: There were 213 primary EMLPs completed with average follow-up of 36 months. The failure rate of primary EMLP was 8.9% (19/213), whereas the failure rate of revision EMLP was 21% (4/19). Risk factors for failure of primary EMLP included the presence of intraoperative pus, more than 5 previous sinus operations and aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD). Revision of EMLP was undertaken primarily due to recurrence of nasal polyps or ostium stenosis. Those patients who underwent revision EMLP experienced symptomatic improvement and no major complications following the procedure.
Conclusion: The failure rate of revision EMLP is 21% in our series. The majority of revisions were for nasal polyp recurrence. Revision EMLP is a safe and well-tolerated procedure in the small group of patients that require further surgery. Patients with intraoperative pus present at their initial EMLP, more than 5 previous sinus operations, or AERD are at increased risk of failure.
Keywords: FESS; asthma; endoscopic sinus surgery; postoperative; sinus surgery.
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