[The efficacy and safety of glucocorticoid stent implantation compared with oral glucocorticoid during perioperative period in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps].

Objective: To compare the perioperative efficacy and safety of postoperative oral glucocorticoid and glucocorticoid stent implantation in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps（CRSwNP） undergoing functional endoscopic sinus surgery（FESS）. Methods: Sixty patients with bilateral CRSwNP with similar degree of lesions were selected and divided into three groups: conventional surgical treatment group（20 cases）, glucocorticoid stent group（20 cases）, and oral glucocorticoid group（20 cases）. All three groups underwent routine FESS, patients in the sinus glucocorticoid stent group receiving sinus glucocorticoid stent placed in the ethmoid sinuses（one on each side） during surgery, and patients in the oral glucocorticoid group received postoperative oral methylprednisolone at a dose of 0.4 mg/kg per day for 7 days, followed by a tapering of 8 mg per week to 8 mg followed by maintenance therapy for 1 week, for a total of 3-4 weeks. Visual analog scale（VAS） scores were used to evaluate nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, olfaction, and facial pressure symptoms before surgery, as well as at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after surgery. Nasal endoscopic Lund-Kennedy scores were recorded, and adverse reactions such as stent detachment, stent-related allergic reactions, sleep disorders, edema, gastrointestinal symptoms, rash/acne, behavioral/cognitive changes, weight gain, limb pain, and infection risk were documented. Results: The nasal congestion symptom scores at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after surgery were significantly lower than those before operationin all three groups, and the differences were statistically significant（ P <0.05）. The sinus glucocorticoid stent group exhibited significantly lower nasal congestion symptom scores at 4 and 8 weeks after surgery compared to the conventional surgical treatment group. The rhinorrhea symptom scores at 2, 8, and 12 weeks after surgery were significantly lower than preoperative scores in all three groups. Additionally, the sinus glucocorticoid stent group had significantly lower rhinorrhea scores than the conventional surgical treatment group at 2 weeks postoperatively. Concerning olfaction, the sinus glucocorticoid stent group showed a significant reduction in scores at 12 weeks postoperatively, while the oral glucocorticoid group exhibited significant improvement starting from 8 weeks after surgery. There were no statistically significant differences in nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, facial pressure, and olfaction scores between the sinus glucocorticoid stent and oral glucocorticoid groups at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks postoperatively. Nasal endoscopy scores revealed lower polyp scores and edema at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks postoperatively for all three groups compared to preoperative scores. The conventional surgical treatment group exhibited a significant reduction in nasal secretion scores starting from 8 weeks after surgery, while both the sinus glucocorticoid stent and oral glucocorticoid groups showed significant reductions starting from 2 weeks postoperatively, with scores significantly lower than those of the conventional surgical treatment group at 2 weeks. Scab/scar scores in the conventional surgical treatment group significantly decreased from 8 weeks after surgery, while both the sinus glucocorticoid stent and oral glucocorticoid groups exhibited significant reductions starting from 4 weeks. No statistically significant differences were observed in endoscopy scores（including polyps, edema, nasal secretion, scars, and scabs） between the sinus glucocorticoid stent and oral glucocorticoid groups at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks postoperatively. Regarding adverse reactions, no postoperative complications related to sinus glucocorticoid stent were observed in the sinus glucocorticoid stent group. In the oral glucocorticoid group,1 patient experienced irritability, and 1 patient experienced weight gain. Conclusion: The glucocorticoid stent implantation has comparable effects to oral glucocorticoid in improving postoperative nasal symptoms, reducing nasal mucosal edema, scar formation, and nasal secretion in patients with CRSwNP undergoing FESS, with a better safety profile.