Simple clinical system for the prediction of recurrence of nasal polypi

Objective: A trial to determine a simple way to predict recurrence of nasal polypi to determine the need for long term medical therapy. Methods: Retrospective clinical analysis of the records of 100 patients with nasal polypi and studying various parameters including radiological, intra-operative and bacteriological data. Results: Among the various parameters studied, maxillary antral involvement, and positive bacterial cultures seemed the most predictive criteria of recurrence. Patients without polypoid involvement of the maxillary sinus and/or with negative cultures were less likely to have early recurrence of their disease. Conclusion: Using simple clinical criteria, two patient populations could be defined. One in which recurrence is inevitable requiring continuous local steroid therapy after surgery and another group requiring occasional local treatment after an initial short course of local steroid spray.