Evaluation of nasal ventilation in patients with structural rhinitis

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the preoperative subjective and objective nasal ventilation function in patients with structural rhinitis,and to provide clinical evidence for surgery.METHODS Fifty six structural rhinitis patients and twenty-four normal controls whose assessment of nasal obstruction was achieved by visual analogue scale(VAS)before and after decongestion,and divided into two groups: group 1(n =30,VAS score7),group 2(n=26,VAS score7) and group 3(control group,n=24,VAS score=0).Three groups were used objective measurement including rhinomanometry and acoustic rhinometry to measure the first two minimum cross-sectional area of nasal cavity(MCA 1),MCA 2 of the bilateral nasal cavity and their distances from the nostrils(MD 1),MD 2,to measure the nasal volume of 5cm,2-5 cm and 5-7 cm from the nostril on both sides of nasal cavity(V 5),V 2-5,V 5-7,to calculate the ratio of the parameters of the two sides of the nasal cavity respectively,and to measure nasal resistance total(RT)of bilateral nasal cavity and calculate Rlr.Three groups were compared by using statistical test.RESULTS There were no significant statistic difference in MD 1,MCA 2,MD 2 and RT among three groups.All ratios were statistically significant except MD 1,V 5-7 among three groups.Group 1 had obvious difference compared with the other two groups.CONCLUSION It is an association between the degree of nasal obstruction and the abnormal structure of bilateral nasal cavity.VAS score and measurement of rhinomanometry and acoustic rhinometry should be as a conventional method to preoperative patients with structural rhinitis.