Gold Laser Vs. Micro-Debriders for Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery

Sinusitis is a common medical problem, which significantly decreases patients' quality of life (QOL). Patients may have symptoms such as headaches, sinus pressure, nasal congestion and drainage, decreased sense of smell, and malaise. Surgical therapy for sinusitis attempts to restore the sinus health by directly relieving sinus obstruction. Small telescopes, called endoscopes, are placed through the nostrils into the nasal cavity to enhance visualization, illumination, and magnification of the sinuses and adjacent structures. There are a variety of surgical instruments available to a surgeon for ESS such as stainless steel tools (shavers, microdebriders, or grasping tools) to address sinusitis. Surgical therapy has been shown to improve QOL, decrease medication use and days missed at work for subjects. The use of lasers in treatment of chronic sinus infections is well documented. The LF-40 Gold Laser (Medical Energy, Inc.; Pensacola, FL) has already been approved for clinical use in various procedures including tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, tracheal stenosis (narrowing), post-intubation granuloma, recurrent respiratory papilloma, and microtia (an underdeveloped ear), and sinus surgery. In this study, the investigators plan to utilize the Gold laser for 1) excision of the concha bullosa, 2) maxillary antrostomy, and 3) submucosal cauterization of the turbinates and compare postoperative outcomes with the use of a microdebrider. These uses are under the approved indication for the LF 40 Gold Laser1, 2, 3. The follow-up times are as follows: 2 weeks postoperatively, 2 months postoperatively, 6 months postoperatively.