Endoscopic versus Caldwell-Luc approach in chronic maxillary sinusitis: comparison of symptoms at one-year follow-up.

The aim of this prospective randomized study was to compare functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) with the standard Caldwell-Luc (C-L) procedure in relieving the symptoms of chronic maxillary sinusitis. One hundred and fifty consecutive adult patients were operated after the failure of treatment with antimicrobials and repeated antral irrigations: 143 patients were available for the follow-up examination, at a median of 12 months after the operation. The patients' global evaluation showed marked improvement in 50.7% of the C-L group and in 76.7% of the FESS group. Overall subjective symptoms deteriorated in 5.5% of C-L operated patients, but not at all in the FESS group. Patients' compliance, asked post-operatively, was 80.2% in C-L patients and 93.0% in FESS patients.