There is a need to both classify and simplify the staging of hyperplastic rhinosinusitis. In essence, this is an extension and modification of the staging system proposed by William Friedman in 1990. It is based primarily on computed tomographic scans, but includes a subclassification that relies on the success or failure of conservative therapy, diagnostic endoscopic findings, and, most important, interval radiographic monitoring. Its basic premise is that not all people with nose and sinus complaints need computed tomographic scans. Four stages are outlined with three letter subclassifications for each stage. These subclassifications, divided into A, B, and C, simply denote the success or failure of conservative therapy as monitored by interval radiographic studies. Examples of each stage are given.
(Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1995;121:725-728)