What your home team actually needs from the China hospital
A frequent failure in cross-border sinus surgery is not a missing diagnosis. It is a missing file. A home ENT clinician who receives only a discharge summary saying 'endoscopic sinus surgery performed' cannot judge whether the frontal recess was opened, whether a middle meatal antrostomy was created, or whether the surgery was limited to one side. Those details change what your home team does next.
Ask the China hospital, before you leave, for a defined document set. The exact list depends on your case, but the useful items are usually the same categories: the operative note, the discharge summary, the histopathology report if tissue was sent, the post-operative instructions, and the imaging itself in DICOM format rather than a printed film or a PDF screenshot. A radiology report alone is not the same as the images.
The reason this matters is practical. If your home clinician later needs to assess recurrent symptoms, revise treatment, or decide whether further imaging is justified, they need the original surgical detail. A summary written for insurance or for a family member is not enough.
Ask the China team one direct question: 'Which of these documents can be released to my named home clinician, and in what format?' If the answer is partial, ask what is missing and why. Do not assume the full set will be provided automatically.
Sinus imaging: sending the actual scan, not a description
Sinus CT is the imaging commonly used to plan endoscopic sinus surgery, and the images matter more than the report. A radiologist's report describes what was seen; the surgeon who may operate later needs the raw slices to judge anatomy, previous surgery and the extent of disease.
Before you travel to China, ask your home radiology department whether they can export your existing sinus CT on a disc or through a secure transfer link. If you have had previous sinus surgery, the earlier operative reports are also relevant, because revision surgery is planned differently from first-time surgery.
When you are in China, ask the treating team whether the pre-operative CT will be available to you in DICOM format. If new imaging is done in China, the same question applies. A printed report in Chinese may be useful to the China team but is not a substitute for the images your home clinician can open.
If your home clinician has a specific question, such as whether the frontal sinus drainage pathway was addressed, write that question down and give it to the China team before discharge. A question in writing is more likely to be answered in the documents than a question asked verbally at the end of a ward round.
Prior treatment and medication history: what to send and why
Your home team's view of your sinus disease is built on what has already been tried. That includes courses of antibiotics, nasal steroid sprays, saline irrigation, oral steroids, allergy treatment, and any previous sinus surgery. If you have used a particular treatment for months without benefit, that is a relevant fact for the China surgeon deciding whether surgery is appropriate.
Send a short, dated list rather than a narrative. For each treatment, note the name, the dose or strength, how long you used it, and whether it helped. If you have had allergy testing or asthma assessment, include those results. If you have a bleeding disorder or take anticoagulant medication, that belongs in the same list, because it affects surgical planning.
The China hospital will do its own assessment. Your role is to make sure the record they receive is accurate and complete enough for that assessment. If a document is in a language the China team does not read, ask whether a translation is needed and who should arrange it.
Do not stop or change any prescribed medication on your own before contacting the treating clinician. Medication decisions belong to the licensed clinicians looking after you, in China or at home.
Questions to settle with the China surgeon before the operation
Endoscopic sinus surgery treats sinus problems through the nose. The proposed extent, the alternatives and the individual risks require discussion with the surgeon. That discussion is the point at which you and your home team learn what is actually planned.
Ask the surgeon to explain, in terms you can repeat to your home clinician, which sinuses are being addressed and what the intended effect is. Ask what non-surgical options have been considered and why they are not sufficient in your case. Ask what the surgeon expects the post-operative course to involve, including nasal care, follow-up visits and any restrictions on flying, lifting or returning to work.
Ask specifically about the follow-up plan after you return home. Some patients need nasal debridement or clinic review after surgery; whether that can be done by your home ENT team, and what information they would need, is a question for both teams. Do not assume the China hospital will arrange home-country follow-up, and do not assume your home team will accept a handover without the records.
If the surgeon's explanation differs from what you understood before travelling, that is important information for your home team. Write down the difference and send it with the operative documents.
Post-operative clinic care and the reviews needed before you return home
The period between surgery and your flight home is when the handover is most easily lost. Ask the China team, before discharge, which post-operative reviews are planned, what each review involves, and which of them must happen in China rather than at home. The answer depends on your surgery and your recovery, so it is a question for the treating team, not a general rule.
Ask what warning signs should prompt you to seek care locally, and where you should go if a problem arises after you leave China. Ask whether you will receive a written post-operative instruction sheet in a language you and your home clinician can read. If not, ask what can be provided.
Before your final China appointment, request the documents listed earlier and confirm they have actually been sent to your named home clinician. A promise to send them later is not the same as a sent file. If your home clinician needs to see you soon after your return, ask the China team to prioritise the operative note and discharge summary.
Your home clinician will make their own assessment of your recovery. They may request additional records or imaging. That is a normal part of shared care, not a sign that the China surgery failed.
How ChinaSpecialistCare can support the exchange
ChinaSpecialistCare provides non-clinical coordination for international patients. For this situation, that can include helping you request a specialist appointment, arranging interpretation during consultations, and supporting the practical exchange of records between your China hospital and your home team. The treating hospital and licensed clinicians decide suitability, surgical scope and follow-up. An initial enquiry is free and does not require buying a proxy consultation. You can start with a brief summary of your situation and your main question.
For the procedure itself, see the endoscopic sinus surgery reference page, which explains the operation and what to prepare. Use it alongside the handover steps above rather than instead of them.
Sources & scope of this guide
References and official service information relevant to this guide.
This is general planning information and has not been individually reviewed by a doctor. Medical decisions and personal treatment advice come from your treating clinicians.