Objective Assessment Of Nasal Obstruction Research Articles

Peak nasal inspiratory flow in the assessment of nasal airway obstruction

Nasal congestion is one of the most common complaints in otolaryngology practice and can significantly impact the quality of life for patients. Objective and subjective assessments provide different information, but objective assessment of nasal obstruction is crucial for accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment. This review demonstrates that peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) is a reproducible and reliable measure of objective nasal patency. It is inexpensive, easy to use, suitable for serial measurements, and can be applied to patients of different age groups. PNIF is recommended for use in every outpatient clinic that treats patients with nasal congestion. To summarize the data on the application of PNIF in diagnosing conditions of the nasal airways. Publications (articles and relevant abstracts) available in the PubMed and eLibrary databases were analyzed. PNIF offers an objective and non-invasive assessment of nasal airflow, aiding in diagnosis, therapy monitoring, and preoperative planning. Further research, standardization, and establishment of normative data will enhance the informative value of peak nasal inspiratory flow in assessing nasal obstruction.

Objective assessment of nasal obstruction.

There are many methods and types of equipment for measuring the nasal airway, but there is no consensus regarding the results of various clinical studies on nasal obstruction. In this review, we discuss the two major methods of objectively assessing the nasal airway: rhinomanometry and acoustic rhinometry. The Japanese standard of rhinomanometry in Japanese adults and children was established by the Japanese Standardization Committee on Rhinomanometry in 2001 and 2018, respectively. However, the International Standardization Committee has proposed different standards because of differences in race, equipment, and social health insurance systems. The standardization of acoustic rhinometry in Japanese adults is making progress in several Japanese institutes, but the international standardization of acoustic rhinometry has not yet begun. Rhinomanometry is the physiological expression of nasal airway breathing, whereas acoustic rhinometry is the anatomic expression. In this review, we introduce the history and methods of the objective assessment of nasal patency and the physiological and pathological issues regarding nasal obstruction.

Prospective study on the functional outcome of septoplasty

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> A thorough assessment of nasal obstruction remains a matter of debate with no accepted subjective and objective measurement tools. The purpose of this study was to use a cost-effective tool for objective assessment of nasal obstruction and compare it with subjective scores.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> This was a longitudinal, prospective study conducted at a tertiary care center on patients undergoing septoplasty for deviated nasal septum (DNS) from March 2016 to August 2017. All patients were assessed pre- and post-operatively at 3 months with nasal peak inspiratory flow, sino-nasal outcome test (SNOT-22) and nasal obstruction symptom evaluation (NOSE) questionnaire to determine post-operative improvement and correlation between objective and subjective scores. </p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> 64 patients were included in the study with 16 females and 48 males. Male patients had higher peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) score post-operatively. Younger patients (less than 25 years) showed significant subjective improvement compared to older patients post-operatively using NOSE questionnaire. Significant improvement in PNIF, SNOT-22 and NOSE scores post-operatively using paired student-t test. There was moderate correlation between PNIF values and subjective scores before surgery and excellent correlation between the subjective SNOT-22 and NOSE scores before and after surgery.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> PNIF is a cheap, portable, and convenient method for assessing nasal patency. Subjective and objective scores have good correlation, with improvement in all scores post-surgery. Men may show more objective improvement and early intervention at younger age may provide more subjective improvement.</p>

Allergic rhinitis, microbiota and passive smoke in children: A pilot study.

BackgroundAllergic rhinitis (AR) is one of the most common allergic diseases affecting children. Objective assessment of nasal obstruction is possible through active anterior rhinomanometry (AAR). Several factors, such as passive smoke exposure (PSE), are triggers for worsening nasal obstruction and chronic inflammation. PSE affects bacterial eubiosis in the upper respiratory tract. This study evaluates the influence of PSE and cotinine levels on both nasal obstruction and local microbiome composition in children with AR.MethodsFifty patients (aged between 6 and 16 years) with AR monosensitized grass pollen were enrolled. They underwent skin prick tests, a nasal swab to evaluate the microbial composition of the anterior nostrils, a basal AAR, a post‐decongestion AAR, and spirometry. Serum cotinine levels were assessed to evaluate PSE.ResultsA significantly lower percentage of mean nasal flow (mNF%) was observed before and after hydrazine administration in subjects exposed to passive smoke (Exp group) compared with the non‐exposed group. In contrast, higher cotinine levels were observed in the Exp group than in the controls. PSE has been associated with a decrease in biodiversity and a change in the nasal microbiome composition; instead, although to a different extent, the abundance of specific taxa resulted in being correlated to cotinine levels and nasal flow.ConclusionChildren with AR exposed to passive smoke with positive serum cotinine could represent a risk factor for developing nasal obstruction and microbial dysbiosis, suggesting their possible role in pathophysiological processes.

Outcome comparison of submucous resection versus combined submucous diathermy and outfracture for treatment of inferior turbinate hypertrophy.

The aim of this study was to compare the outcome of submucous resection and combined submucous diathermy with outfracture technique in treatment of nasal obstruction caused by inferior turbinate hypertrophy. This study is a prospective randomized clinical trial involving 90 patients with hypertrophied inferior turbinate not responding to medical treatment. All patients were selected with equal or near equal mucosal and bony turbinate components using computed tomography (CT) and then randomly allocated into two groups; group A (n = 45): underwent submucous resection in both sides and group B (n = 45): underwent combined submucous diathermy and outfracture in both sides. Subjective (NOSE score) and objective (4-grades endoscopic classification system and PNIF evaluation) measures of nasal airflow were done preoperatively and postoperatively. Subjective assessment using NOSE scale proved that both techniques were effective in relieving nasal obstruction as it improved in both groups postoperatively compared to the preoperative data. However, resection technique was better than diathermy technique with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05), while objective assessment of nasal obstruction showed better results in resection group than diathermy group, but with no statistically significant difference. Both techniques are effective in relief of nasal obstruction due to inferior turbinate hypertrophy. However, submucous resection showed marked improvement compared to diathermy technique especially at long-term follow-up.

Clinical application of nasometry in patients with nasal obstruction.

The purpose of this case-control study is to report on the clinical application of nasometry as a diagnostic tool in patients with the symptom of nasal obstruction compared with subjects with no history of nasal obstruction. Thirty-eight adult patients (mean age: 28.1 years) complaining of nasal obstruction were enrolled in the study, and another group of 38 adults (mean age: 25.9 years) with no history of nasal obstruction served as controls. Demographic data, including age and sex, were collected. Patients were asked to read three passages; the Zoo passage, the Rainbow passage, and nasal sentences. Nasalance scores were reported on all subjects using a Nasometer II instrument. The control and patient groups each included 22 men and 16 women. No statistically significant difference in nasalance score was found between the study group and the control group in any of the Zoo passage, Rainbow passage and nasal sentences. We conclude that nasometry has limited value in the objective assessment of nasal obstruction as a symptom, which we attribute to nasal obstruction's not always reflecting the volume and pressure in the nasal cavity.

Estimation of partitioning of airflow in septal surgery: A prospective study with reference to the NOSE scale.

Improper patient selection for septal surgery often has been found to result in therapeutic failure, and there needs to be an objective assessment of nasal obstruction before the surgery and for postoperative follow-up that can be applied in the routine otolaryngology practice. The purpose of this study is to assess the usefulness of a cost-effective device for objective measurement of the nasal airway partitioning in selecting patients for septal surgery and for postoperative outcome evaluation. A hospital-based, prospective, observational study was carried out in a tertiary-care teaching institution involving 74 patients waiting for septal surgery. Each patient was exposed to subjective assessment of nasal obstruction by the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) scale and objective measurement by Nasal Partitioning Ratio (NPR) using a new device, Nasal Airway Partition Meter (NAPM), once before and twice after surgery. Overall, average NOSE score and NPR values were 66.42 ± 9.42 and 0.57 ± 0.18, respectively, at preoperative assessment (correlation coefficient 0.441). Sixty of the 74 patients had high values for both NPR and NOSE scores (Group 1), but in the remaining 14, NPR values were found to be lower despite high NOSE scores (Group 2). Postsurgery, the NOSE score and NPR values were significantly reduced in Group 1. In contrast, participants in Group 2 showed no alteration in the values of both the parameters after the same operative maneuver. However, 2 patients in Group 1 had NOSE score and NPR values unaltered, while 1 patient in Group 2 had a reduced NOSE score after surgery. Therefore, the validity of the new equipment was calculated to be 96.7% sensitive and 92.9% specific to identify patients who needed to undergo septal surgery for their nasal obstruction. It can be deduced from the present study that NAPM can be a cost-effective device for clinicians to objectively measure nasal airway obstruction and screen patients for septal surgery.

Should we perform objective assessment of nasal obstruction in children with chronic rhinitis?

Should we perform objective assessment of nasal obstruction in children with chronic rhinitis?

Objective and subjective assessments of nasal obstruction in children and adolescents with allergic rhinitis

To correlate objective assessment of nasal obstruction, as measured by acoustic rhinometry (volume of the first 5 cm of the nasal cavity) and active anterior rhinomanometry (total nasal airway resistance), with its subjective evaluation (obstruction scores). Thirty patients, aged 7 to 18 years, with persistent allergic rhinitis and thirty controls were enrolled. The obstruction score was reported for the whole nasal cavity and for each nostril separately. The three variables were measured at baseline and after induction of nasal obstruction. There were significant and negative correlations between resistance and nasal volume in all groups and scenarios, except for the most obstructed nostril, in the control group, post-obstruction. For the whole nasal cavity, there was no significant correlation between objective and subjective variables except between score and total nasal cavity volume in the control group, post-obstruction. Regarding the most obstructed nostril, we found a significant negative correlation between score and resistance and a significant positive correlation between score and volume for the total group at baseline. There were no clear differences in the correlation coefficients found in patients and controls. The correlation coefficients did not change after induction of nasal obstruction. Objective assessment of nasal obstruction did not correlate significantly with subjective evaluation for the nasal cavity as a whole, but there was a correlation for unilateral assessments. There was correlation between the objective evaluations. Allergic rhinitis and acute induction of nasal obstruction did not affect the correlation between objective and subjective assessments of nasal obstruction. Addition of an objective method for evaluation of nasal obstruction could be useful in the research setting; if no such method can be used, each nostril should be evaluated separately.

Diagnostik der respiratorischen Funktion der Nase

Objective assessment of nasal obstruction may help with preoperative planning for rhinosurgery and indicate different aspects of endonasal pathology. To improve quality control, preoperative and postoperative objective assessment is desirable. This review presents objective functional diagnostic tools and explains their appropriate uses, the information obtained, and their limitations. An algorithm is presented for analysing nasal obstruction by means of objective functional assessment. Examples illustrate how to use this information for preoperative planning in rhinosurgery.

Nasal congestion and airway obstruction: the validity of available objective and subjective measures.

Rhinomanometry and acoustic rhinometry provide the best methods for objective assessment of nasal obstruction. Advanced equipment for these methods is now available, and most devices are reliable provided that care is taken to calibrate the device properly and, for rhinomanometers, the user is completely familiar with the mathematical algorithm for resistance used by the accompanying software. Suggestions for improvement in standardization of rhinomanometry are given. Rhinomanometry and rhinometry are both capable of objectively measuring nasal obstruction, but they are complementary methods that assess different nasal attributes, the former being a test of nasal function, and the latter a representation of nasal geometry. Objective methods are strongly recommended for use in the evaluation of pharmacologic agents that are expected to improve nasal airflow. When further studies needed to validate their use for long-term comparisons are done, these methods should find an increasing place in clinical practice.

Objective Assessment of Nasal Obstruction in Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients: Experience of a Police Authority Hospital

The role of nasal airflow resistance in the pathogenesis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome remains contentious. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in apnea index in response to nasal surgery, as guided by acoustic rhinometry. Forty-five patients were referred for complaints of snoring and nasal obstruction. The patients were divided into two groups according to the severity of nasal obstruction: group 1 (nasal obstruction was the predominant symptom) included 21 patients, and group 2 (snoring was the predominant symptom) included 24 patients. In group 1, nasal surgery was performed as a first surgical procedure and was followed after 10-12 weeks by palatal surgery. In group 2, palatal surgery was performed as the primary procedure and was followed after 10-12 weeks by nasal surgery. The results showed a clear relationship between the correction of nasal obstruction and the severity of OSA, as indicated by measuring the apnea index (AI). However, in none of the group 1 cases was nasal surgery alone capable of reducing the AI by 50%. In group 2, palatal surgery effectively reduced AI, and when followed by nasal surgery, the reduction in AI was again statistically significant. This indicates that nasal obstruction could be considered a contributing factor to the severity of OSA, but not a causative factor in the production of OSA. It also indicates that nasal surgery and palatal surgery combined are effective in improving snoring and OSA in properly selected patients.

Acoustic rhinometry in the study of the acute nasal allergic response.

Acoustic rhinometry is a recently developed method for the objective assessment of nasal patency. In this study, acoustic rhinometry was used to measure changes in nasal cavity dimensions in the immediate response to nasal allergen challenge in eight pollen-sensitive subjects. Acoustic rhinometric changes were compared with subjective symptoms, as well as histamine in nasal secretions, cytology of nasal mucosal scrapings, and changes in olfactory function. A significantly greater decrease in nasal airway caliber occurred following allergen challenge as compared to buffer diluent challenge in the same individuals (70% +/- 7% versus 22% +/- 5%). During an allergic response, a strong correlation was found between the minimum cross-sectional area and the volume of the nasal cavity measured by acoustic rhinometry (r = .9). However, no correlation was observed between nasal airway caliber and concomitant subjective congestion reported by the subjects. A modest decrease in olfactory function was seen following allergen challenge (3.1 +/- 1.4 fewer odors identified correctly out of 20; p = .08). However, the alterations of olfactory function did not correlate with changes in nasal patency. The results presented in this study demonstrate that acoustic rhinometry has great potential as a reproducible method for the objective assessment of nasal obstruction occurring in nasal allergen challenge studies.

Objective Assessment of Nasal Obstruction

Attempts to find objective tests to assess nasal obstruction have a long history. The physiologic and pathologic fluctuations that occur within the nose over short periods of time have hampered these efforts, and all presently available techniques have significant drawbacks. The most commonly used is active rhinomanometry, and relatively recent standardization has led to the popularization of the anterior method. Posterior active and passive rhinomanometry are also available; other methods include plethysmography, peak expiratory flow rate, rhinohygrometry, thermography, oscillometry, echorhinometry, audiometric rhinomanometry, and rhinostereometry. A reliable technique would have many applications, particularly in pre- and post-therapeutic evaluation. At present, however, no method enjoys routine clinical usage, although there is considerable interest in future development.