Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIM: Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) is frequently conducted for restoring sinus ventilation and function. Postoperative care is critical for success. However, loss to follow-up is disturbing. The specific aim of this study was to identify critical factors contributing to loss of patients to follow-up and how to improve it. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 221 patients with chronic rhinosinusitis undergoing FESS were enrolled. Patients were divided into three groups according to their follow-up after surgery: Less than 1 month (short-term), 1-3 months (medium-term) and more than 3 months (long-term). The gender, age, smoking status, comorbidities, laterality, Lund-Mackay score, 22-question Sinonasal Outcome Test, nasal obstruction Visual Analogue Scale and mucociliary clearance were evaluated for their contribution to better compliance in follow-up. RESULTS: The results revealed that older patients had better compliance in follow-up compared with younger ones (p=0.0093). Other factors were not contributory (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: In contrast to the US, older patients in Taiwan have better compliance in postoperative follow-up, while younger ones require more education on the importance of follow-up.