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Cosmetic Procedures Current Cosmetic Procedure Topics

Rhinoplasty Improves Airway Function

(HealthCentersOnline) - Nasal plastic surgery improves nasal airway function in people with severe nasal obstructions, according to a recent study.

Obstruction of the nasal passages is a common disorder. It may be caused by a variety of factors, including septal deviation (which occurs when the wall separating the two nasal passages is crooked or off-center), valve insufficiency (due to improper positioning or collapse of cartilage inside the nasal passages) and turbinate hypertrophy (when air flow is blocked by large or swollen turbinates, areas inside the nose covered by mucous membranes).

Surgical procedures to treat these types of conditions are collectively known as functional rhinoplasty. Research suggests that these procedures are very effective at improving nasal airway function.

Dr. Sam P. Most, formerly of the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle and now at Stanford University evaluated 41 men and women with severe nasal obstruction for at least one year who later had functional rhinoplasty.

The patients completed preoperative and postoperative evaluations, including surveys that assessed the severity of their nasal obstruction and their quality of life. Each patient was assigned a score from zero to 100, with higher scores signifying more severe nasal obstructions.

After reviewing the data, Dr. Most found that the average score decreased significantly after surgery, from 58.4 to 15.7 after an average of 227 days. Further analysis revealed similar rates of improvement between different rhinoplasty procedures (e.g., spreader grafting, septoplasty, turbinectomy).

"Functional rhinoplasty techniques are effective in improving nasal airway function as measured by a patient-based, disease-specific, quality-of-life instrument," Dr. Most concluded in a press release. "The specific techniques considered to treat nasal obstruction can be tailored to address the areas of concern, including septal deviation, internal or external valve collapse and turbinate hypertrophy."

The study appears in the September/October issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.

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