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Abstract
Nasal polyposis is one of the most common problems in Otolaryngology. It represents a great challenge to the otolaryngologist in many aspects. Etiology and pathophysiology are only partly understood, and recurrence is frequent regardless of treatment, making repeated surgical interventions necessary, which may lead to unsatisfactory results and may cause complications.
In this study, our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of one of the treatment options for nasal polyposis, which is immunotherapy, to find an answer to our question, is immunotherapy effective in the treatment of nasal polyposis?
We performed a systematic review (using meta-analysis) of the published literature concerning the use of immunotherapy in the treatment of nasal polyposis through searching the Medline data base (www.Pubmed.com). Meta-analysis is a systematic approach to identify, appraise and synthesize, and (if appropriate) combine the results of relevant studies to arrive at conclusion.
Regarding the material of this study, search was done on 11/7/2008 using the following key words: (1) Immunotherapy and nasal polyposis, (2) Nasal polyposis and desensitization, (3) Immunotherapy OR desensitization and nasal polyp*, (4) Treatment and nasal polyposis (limited to randomized controlled trials or meta-analysis). The search was limited to the articles published in English language and performed on human subjects. It yielded a total number of 259 articles. After elimination of the duplicated articles we had a total number of 162 articles, of which there were 33 articles relevant to our study. Of these 33 articles, there were 3 randomized controlled trials, but were excluded because of absence of one or more of our inclusion criteria, so we used controlled trials. Only 4 articles were included in our study due to presence of all our inclusion criteria.
Our analytical study showed better results, and a significant improvement of patients with immunotherapy as regard the recurrence rate when compared to patients that did not receive immunotherapy. There is a highly significant difference in the recurrence rate of polyps between the 2 groups.
So we recommend the use of immunotherapy for patients with nasal polyposis after surgical polypectomy to prevent or minimize the recurrence.