Objective: We aimed to explore the transitional process of sinus cavity mucosa after functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) and divide it into different stages.
Method: The morphological characteristics of sinus cavity mucosa after FESS were continuously observed.
Results: Over 90% of the nasal and sinus cavities got clean within 1-2 weeks, over 80% of the operative cavities experienced a reaction to mucosa removal or regenerative diseases within 3-10 weeks, such as mucosal edema, vesicles, granulation tissue, mini-polyps, fibrous hyperplasia and adhesion, which competed against the mucosa epithelialization process. After careful treatment, 90% of the nasal and sinus cavities finished epithelialization, and 60% of them completed epithelialization within 11-14 weeks after operation.
Conclusion: The recovery process of mucosa after FESS can be divided into 3 stages: the stage of clean operative cavity, the stage of mucosal transition and the stage of complete epithelialization. Proper management at the 3 stages is very essential to the whole curable effect of FESS.