title: Influence of temporary nasal occlusion (tNO) on epistaxis frequency in patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT).
abstract: The objective of the study was to evaluate the influence of temporary nasal occlusion (tNO) with hypoallergenic tape on the frequency and severity of epistaxis in patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT). This prospective observational study included 20 HHT patients who were undergoing Nd:YAG laser therapy at regular intervals. Over a 3-month period, laser therapy was supplemented by tNO with hypoallergenic tape for 5 h/day on average. On a 0-10 numeric rating scale, the patients reported significantly greater satisfaction in epistaxis terms after tNO treatment, with mean scores of 5 before and 7 after 3-month tNO (p = 0.05). The Epistaxis Severity Score also fell significantly from a median of 3.59-2.43 after 3-month tNO compared with laser therapy alone (p = 0.01). The patients' hemoglobin levels remained stable during the study (median: 12.2 g/dL before tNO; median: 11.7 g/dL after tNO; p = 0.387). Overall, the present study confirms the positive influence of tNO on epistaxis in HHT patients and on subjective satisfaction. This simple and inexpensive strategy is therefore a helpful option, especially in addition to regular Nd:YAG laser therapy, and is recommended by the authors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, 93053, Regensburg, Germany. Kornelia.Wirsching@ukr.de.
authors.forename: Kornelia E C
authors.initials: KEC
authors.lastname: Wirsching
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, 93053, Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Haubner
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, 93053, Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Kühnel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004844:Epistaxis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D053844:Lasers, Solid-State / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D053832:Surgical Tape; D013683:Telangiectasia, Hereditary Hemorrhagic / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D060205:Therapeutic Occlusion / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Epistaxis; HHT; Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia; Nd:YAG laser therapy; Temporary nasal occlusion; tNO