Chronic Rhinosinusitis With and Without Nasal Polyposis

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) has been the subject ofmuchdebate, as theRhinosinusitis Task Force convened to confront the difficult issues related to rhinosinusitis, including definition, staging, and basic research (1). In general, the definition ofCRShasbeenbased entirely on clinical criteria inwhich there is evidence of a chronic inflammatory state in the nose and paranasal sinuses for at least 12 weeks (1). Although in most cases this may be the result of untreated acute bacterial rhinosinusitis, the diagnostic criteriawere still clinical andoffered little explanation of the underlying pathophysiology.