Surgical outcome for rhinogenic contact point headache in Rizgary Teaching Hospital in Erbil, Iraq

Abstract

Background and objective: The definition of an intranasal contact point is when two regions within the nasal cavity are opposing each other and resist separation following the application of a topical decongestant. A contact point should be identified by endoscopy, but some authors have used the appearance on computed tomography for the selection criteria. This study aimed to assess the role of some anatomical variations of the nose in rhinogenic contact point headache and to determine the role of surgery in the management of such headache. Methods: This prospective (case-series) study included 30 patients from Rizgary Teaching Hospital in Erbil city, Iraq during the period of March 2015 to March 2017. All patients involved in this study were having symptoms for at least more than one year and not responding to medications. Results: The study participants were 18 females and 12 males; their ages range between 18 and 43 years with a mean age of 26.90 years. Regarding surgical outcome, all patients underwent appropriate surgery and followed up for at least six months postoperatively. Twenty seven (90%) patients had a complete cure, three (10%) patients with ties or remaining the same and none (0%) with positive ranks. Conclusion: The removal of contact points in patients with Rhinogenic Contact Point Headache is very effective for relieving the pain in carefully selected patients.