title: Rhinomanometry for preoperative and postoperative assessment of nasal obstruction.
abstract: In this retrospective study we used active, anterior mask rhinomanometric methods to measure nasal resistance before and after surgery for nasal obstruction. The study group comprised 60 patients with nasal obstruction who had 63 preoperative and postoperative rhinomanograms and the control group contained 14 asymptomatic patients who underwent rhinomanometric studies before transnasal, transsphenoidal pituitary surgery. Before surgery the study group had significantly higher total and combined unilateral nasal resistances than either the control group before surgery (p less than 0.05 and p less than 0.01, respectively) or the study group after surgery (p less than 0.0001 for both comparisons). Surgery normalized the nasal resistances of the study group in relation to the control group. A total nasal resistance greater than 1 cm H2O/L/sec or a unilateral resistance greater than 3.5 cm H2O/L/sec suggests clinically significant nasal obstruction. Airway narrowing and obstructive symptoms correlated with airway resistance in the preoperative patient, but symptoms did not correlate well with postoperative resistance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905.
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.forename: T V
authors.initials: TV
authors.lastname: McCaffrey
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Kern
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Pallanch
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000601:surgery*; D000403:Airway Resistance; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D008365:Manometry; D008875:Middle Aged; D009666:Nose / Q000601:surgery*; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011300:Preoperative Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies