Objectives: In this study, we investigated the effect of functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) on gustatory function in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).
Methods: Forty-three patients with CRS who underwent FESS were included in this study. Prior to FESS and 3 months after surgery, the severity of rhinosinusitis was assessed using the Taiwanese version of the 22-item SNOT (SNOT-22), endoscopic examination, and acoustic rhinometry. The olfactory function was evaluated using the phenylethyl alcohol odor detection threshold test and the traditional Chinese version of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test, and the gustatory function was evaluated using the whole mouth suprathreshold taste test (WMTT) and the taste quad test (TQT). Subgroup analyses were performed based on CRS phenotypes and endotypes.
Results: The SNOT-22 significantly improved 3 months after FESS for all patients with CRS. The endoscopic score and olfactory function significantly improved in patients with eosinophilic CRS and in patients with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). The WMTT sweet and bitter scores were significantly lower after FESS in CRSwNP, but the TQT sweet score was significantly higher in patients without nasal polyps. In addition, patients with noneosinophilic CRS had significantly decreased WMTT and salty scores 3 months after FESS.
Conclusion: Our results showed that the effect of FESS on gustatory function of patients with CRS was different with the different testing procedures, the association with nasal polyps, and the underlying inflammatory patterns.
Keywords: chronic rhinosinusitis; eosinophilic; functional endoscopic sinus surgery; gustatory function; nasal polyps; olfactory function.