Turkish validation of the Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-22

Objectives The Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT)-22 is a widely used health-related quality of life questionnaire. This study aimed to conduct a translation and validation study of the SNOT-22 in the Turkish language. Design We achieved a convenient translation and cultural adaptation process to translate the original SNOT-22 into the Turkish language (observational prospective cohort study). Setting This study was conducted in a single tertiary-level university hospital. Participants We performed reliability, validity and responsiveness analyses in 313 participants. One hundred eighty-nine of the participants were the chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) group, and 79 healthy volunteers enrolled in the control group. Twenty-nine participants who underwent endoscopic sinus surgery for CRS were evaluated for pre-postoperative responsiveness analysis. Main Outcome Measures Reliability (internal consistency and test-retest reproducibility), validity, responsiveness, sensitivity and specificity. Results The internal consistency coefficient (Cronbach's alpha) was 0.909 in the CRS test group, 0.955 in the CRS retest group, and 0.916 in the control group. The reliability value (Pearson correlation coefficient) of the test-retest group was 0.901. The validity was assessed by the independent sample t-test between the CRS and control groups and resulted in a significant difference (P < 0.001). Responsiveness was interpreted using the paired t-test between pre- and post-medical and pre- and post-surgical treatment groups; statistical analysis found significance in both groups (P < 0.001). When using the SNOT-22 cut-off value of 33.5, the sensitivity and specificity of the Turkish version of the SNOT-22 was 54.5% and 75.9%, respectively (95% CI, area under the curve (AUC): 0.69, range 0.624aeuro"0.756, P = 0.000). Conclusions The authors suggest that the Turkish SNOT-22 is a valid, reliable, reproducible and responsive questionnaire