Delta neutrophil index levels can be a good indicator to predict patients with chronic rhinosinusitis who need surgery.

OBJECTIVES

Predicting the need for surgical treatment among patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is challenging. The delta neutrophil index (DNI) has been proposed as a useful laboratory marker of immature granulocytes, which indicates infection or severe inflammation in several diseases. This study evaluated DNI as an early predictor of the need for surgery in patients with CRS.

METHODS

A total of 117 patients diagnosed with CRS were enrolled in this retrospective and observational study. Medical records, including symptoms data, WBC count, ESR level, LUC count, Lund-Mackay scores, and DNI, were reviewed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were analyzed to determine the optimal cut-off values for predicting surgery.

RESULTS

Among 117 patients, 49 patients (41.9%) needed surgical intervention. The areas under the WBC, ESR, LUC, and DNI ROC curves were .571, .600, .592, and .782, respectively. The optimal cut-off value of DNI to predict surgery was .9%. The prognostic precision of DNI showed that the sensitivity was 59.2% and the specificity was 98.5%. In the analysis of risk factors, DNI levels were significantly associated with surgical intervention (odds ratio, 2.22; 95% confidence interval, 1.48-3.34; P < .01).

CONCLUSIONS

The level of DNI, which reflects the severity of the disease, may be a useful predictor for determining the need for surgical intervention in patients with CRS. This is the first literature to verify the role of DNI in upper airway disease.