All adult patients undergoing sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) that satisfy the
inclusion/exclusion criteria will be included in the study.
All patients enrolled in this study will have spacers (impregnated with saline or
Triamcinolone) inserted into their middle meati after sinus surgery. Patients will serve as
their own controls. Nostril's will be randomized to either the experimental treatment
(Triamcinolone-impregnated spacer) or the control treatment (Saline-impregnated spacer).
These spacers will be removed after 6-days post-op.
Participants will undergo the standard post-operative endoscopic sinus surgery follow-up
appointments plus one additional research visit (not standard of care). This includes
follow-up appointments at 6 days, 14 days, 5 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months of the
post-operative period. During these appointments, the surgeon will assess the post-operative
mucosal appearance (Philpott-Javer Sinus Rating System). SNOT-22 surveys will be
administered, as per standard protocol, at each post-op follow up visit.
Sinus tissue biopsies will be taken from both meati on 28-day and 3-month post-op follow-up
appointments for analysis.
Our objective is to determine if triamcinolone soaked Merocel middle meatus spacers (MMS) in
a perforated glove finger improves patient outcomes, wound healing and reduces inflammation
compared to a standard saline-soaked merocel sponge within a perforated glove finger in CRS
patients receiving FESS.
Our hypothesis is that triamcinolone-medicated Merocel MMS are not inferior to standard
saline-soaked spacers, when both are enclosed in a perforated surgical glove finger.