Identification of Bacterial and Fungal Isolates in Patients with Sinonasal Polyps

Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is a disease of the nose and paranasal sinuses characterized by mucosal thickening and polyp formation¹ which are inflammatory lesions that project into the nasal airway and are typically bilateral² .Chronic rhinosinsitis with nasal ployps (CRSwNP) affects 0.5% to 4% of the population worldwide. ³ Symptoms include anterior or posterior rhinorrhea, nasal congestion, hyposmia, and/or facial pressure or pain that last for a duration of more than 12 weeks.² The cause of the sinonasal polyps is still unknown but they may be associated with several pathological conditions i.e. infection, allergic fungal sinusitis, allergy and cystic fibrosis ⁴. Many studies were based on detection of bacterial and fungal growth in sinonasal polyps , and found that preoperative bacterial culture showed growth of Staphylococcus coagulase negative (CONS) ,Staphylococcus aureus , gram -ve bacteria i.e. Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Klebsiella pneumoniae , Klebsiella ozenae and Escherichia coli⁴ . From fungi , Aspergillus species were the most commonly recovered isolates ⁵. The initial approach of management was medical treatment . Medical therapy consists of administration of intranasal or systemic steroids. Other medical treatments considered the use of antibiotics, leukotriene modifiers, and avoidance of acetylsalicylic acid. Surgical removal was performed for non-responders to medical management⁶. Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) is a minimally invasive technique in which sinus air cells and sinus ostia are opened under direct visualization. The goal of this procedure is to restore ventilation and normal functions⁷.