title: Video-rhino-hygrometer: a new method for evaluation of nasal breathing after nasal surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nasal obstruction is one of the most frequent symptoms in the ear, nose, and throat (ENT) setting. It can be evaluated either subjectively or objectively. In a subjective way, a visual analog scale (VAS) and the Sino-Nasal Outcome Test 20 (SNOT 20) can rapidly quantify the degree of obstruction, whereas the most commonly used objective methods are nasal endoscopy and active anterior rhinomanometry (AAR). It is still a matter of controversy to what extent the sense of nasal obstruction is associated with objective measures for nasal space and airflow. The aim of the study was to evaluate nasal breathing before and after functional nasal surgery by video-rhino-hygrometer (VRH) comparing the results with widely accepted methods.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty patient candidates for septoplasty and inferior turbinate reduction were included in the study. SNOT-20, VAS, nasal endoscopy, and AAR were analyzed and compared with VRH values.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Before surgery VRH showed variability of nasal respiratory flow between individuals and between nostrils. After surgery we had an increase (p < 0.05) of airflow in both nostrils. VRH data were found to be correlated with VAS and SNOT-20 values (p < 0.05) both pre- and postoperatively. Despite the statistically significant correlation of AAR with SNOT-20 and VAS, no statistically significant correlation between AAR and VRH was found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  VRH provides an immediate, easy, and noninvasive assessment of nasal respiration. For these reasons it can be used, in association with rhinoscopic data and other instrumental tests, to evaluate nasal breathing in daily ENT practice.
authors.affiliation: Area of Otolaryngology, Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Via Alvaro del Portillo 21, Rome, Italy. m.casale@unicampus.it
authors.forename: Manuele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Casale
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pappacena
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Setola
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Soda
authors.forename: Valerio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cusimano
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vitali
authors.forename: Ranko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mladina
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Salvinelli
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004724:Endoscopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006813:Humidity; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015508:Nasal Obstruction / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009666:Nose / Q000601:surgery*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D012119:Respiration; D025363:Rhinomanometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014741:Video Recording / Q000295:instrumentation*