Abstract
Objectives
To what extent a sense of nasal obstruction correlates with objective measures for nasal space and air flow is still a matter of controversy. Knowledge about this is important in the evaluation of nasal complaints and the planning of treatment. The primary objectives of our study were to evaluate the relationship between subjective nasal blockage and 1) acoustic rhinometry (AR), and 2) Peak Nasal Inspiratory Flow (PNIF).
Methods
2341 consecutive patients referred to ENT specialist for evaluation of obstructive sleep apnea, snoring, or nose-related complaints were included in this cross-sectional study. Subjects underwent AR and nasal flow measurements (PNIF). Subjective grading of nasal obstruction was obtained by a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Associations between VAS recordings and measurements of PNIF and AR were evaluated with multivariate analysis using linear regression, adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, asthma, allergy and smoking history. The study was conducted in the period 2005–2007.
Results
The sense of nasal obstruction was correlated to volumes in both anterior and middle segments of the nasal cavities (p<0,001), to minimal cross-sectional areas in middle segments, and for the nasal airway as a whole (p<0,001) and to PNIF (p<0,001).
Conclusions
The present study indicates that there are significant correlations between the subjective sensation of nasal obstruction and the corresponding measures for space and air flow. We conclude that AR and PNIF are valuable objective investigational tools correlating well with the sensation of nasal obstruction.
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