Treatment approaches for chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) differ from those used for acute sinusitis, where antibiotics are used to treat the infection. The cause of CRS had been unknown until recently. Therefore, a variety of treatments had been used with only limited success. To date, the Food and Drug Administration has not approved any medication for the prevention or treatment of CRS.

Treatments that have and continue to be used include antibiotics, inhaled or oral corticosteroids, and surgery to clear blocked nasal passages. Antibiotics are most useful in treating infections that result when bacteria enter the damaged nasal tissue that occurs in CRS. However, no antibiotic is effective in preventing the tissue damage. Oral and inhaled corticosteroids have been used to reduce inflammation and decrease the body's immune response to the fungus. However, corticosteroids can cause serious side effects and must be used with caution in certain patients, such as those with diabetes. Although surgery to remove polyps and other abnormal nasal tissue growth does temporarily relieve symptoms, it does not treat the cause of the disease.

Following their discovery that fungus starts a process that causes the symptoms of CRS, researchers at the Mayo Clinic began to look for new treatments. Their work and that of other doctors has shown that applying an antifungal medication to the nasal cavity reduces symptoms and prevents changes in the nasal tissue that are caused by the body's immune response to the fungus.