Vietnamese SNOT‐22 Validation: Prospective Cohort Study on Sinonasal Symptoms And Health‐Related Quality of Life

Objective Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a prevalent inflammatory disorder of the upper airway that drives substantial healthcare burden and impairs health‐related quality of life (HRQoL). This study aimed to translate and validate the Vietnamese version of the 22‐item Sinonasal Outcome Test (SNOT‐22), a widely used patient‐reported outcome measure for CRS. Study Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Tertiary academic center. Methods The SNOT‐22 was translated following a standardized forward‐backward procedure. Reliability, validity, and responsiveness were assessed in 110 participants (69 CRS patients, 31 controls). Among 52 surgical patients, questionnaires were administered preoperatively and at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively. Correlations were examined with endoscopic, radiologic, symptom severity, and disease‐specific measures. Results The Vietnamese SNOT‐22 demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.95), test‐retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.94). Postoperative stability between 1 and 3 months was high ( r = 0.78). Validity was demonstrated by clear discrimination between CRS patients and controls ( P < .01) and across HRQoL levels ( P = .01). No significant score difference was found between CRS phenotypes with or without nasal polyps. The SNOT‐22 significantly correlated weakly with the modified Lund‐Kennedy score, strongly with the VAS symptom score, and showed no correlation with the Lund‐Mackay score. Responsiveness was robust, with significant postoperative improvement ( P < .01) and a large effect size of 1.81 at 6 months. Conclusion The Vietnamese SNOT‐22 is a reliable, concise, and responsive instrument for assessing HRQoL in CRS patients and can be recommended for both clinical practice and research in Vietnamese‐speaking populations.