Assessing symptoms of empty nose syndrome in patients following sinonasal and anterior skull base resection

Abstract

Background: Empty nose syndrome (ENS) is a rare condition characterised by paradoxical nasal obstruction following sinonasal surgery. For oncological purposes it is sometimes necessary to resect some or all of the structures within the nasal cavity. Methods: We surveyed patients using the SNOT-25 questionnaire that had undergone large sinonasal or anterior skull base resection for symptoms of ENS. Results: There were 17 patients from a single surgeon practice included in the study. None of the patients reported symptoms of ENS. Conclusions: Patients undergoing anterior skull base surgery do not appear to develop ENS suggesting that the syndrome is more complex then anatomic alterations.