COVID-19 control protocol for rhinologic surgery

In January 2020, 14 medical staff members engaged in endona- sal endoscopic pituitary surgery at a hospital in Wuhan, China, were infected with a novel infection, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (1). Since the nasal mucosa is a potential source of COVID-19 infection (2), close attention has been paid to infection control in rhinologic surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic (3). There are also many reports from other countries on COVID-19 infection among otolaryngologists, and these reports suggest that the risk of COVID-19 transmission is particularly high in rhinologic surgery (4,5). On the other hand, Sanmark et al. showed that the observed aerosol exposure during rhinologic surgery is lower or similar to exposures during coughing (6).