The influence of nasal septum deformity degree on subjective nasal breathing assessment

Abstract

Introduction. The aim of this paper is to determine the influence of nasal septum deformity degree on the subjective nasal breathing assessment as well as the existence of correlation between one side of the nose with nasal septum deformity and the subjective feeling of difficulty in breathing on that side in the subjects with different degrees of nasal septum deviation. Material and Methods. The research included 90 randomly chosen patients, who claimed to have nasal breathing difficulties. Every patient assessed subjectively which side of the nose made breathing difficult and scored the breathing on that side from 0 to 10 cm on the visual analogue scale. Results. The patients from the third group described their breathing as the most difficult, while the subjects from the first group claimed that their nasal breathing problems were the least difficult. The subjective feeling of heavy nasal breathing on the deformed nasal septum side was significantly different in all groups (H= 38.466, p= 0.000). In the second and the third group of patients there was a significant correlation between the deformed side of the nose and the subjective heavy breathing on that side (p< 0.05), whereas this correlation was not found in the first group (p> 0.05). Conclusion. The subjective feeling of difficulty in breathing on the deformed side of the nose is intensified with the degree of the nasal septum deformity, thus this feeling was reported only by the subjects with a higher degree of the nasal septum deformity.

Relationship between nasal septum morphology and nasal obstruction symptom severity: computed tomography study

“…1 ). 8 , 13 Briefly, the angle was measured between two lines of reference. The first line running from the nasal septum insertion in the maxillary crest and the junction point of the perpendicular and the cribriform plate corresponded to the midline.…”

“…However, the few studies that correlated CT images and subjective nasal obstruction symptoms reported conflicting results about which morphological characteristics of the NSD, if any, should be recommended as an indicator of the symptom severity. 8 , 9 , 10 Besides contradictory results, CT was used only for NSD angle and cross-sectional area measurement in the different parts of the nasal cavity. An advantage of the CT to show the detailed morphology of the deviated septum was not fully utilized.…”

Is Computed Tomography Imaging of Deviated Nasal Septum Justified for Obstruction Confirmation?

“…Classification according to the maximal NSD angle (C5) grades deviation into mild, moderate, and severe. 12,17 The maximal NSD angle measurement was carried out like in the previous studies (an angle between the line that connects the crista galli and the nasal crest and the second line that joins the crista galli with the maximal deviation point). 10,12,18 For the S-shaped NSDs, a greater angle was taken into account.…”

“…There are various classification systems of NSD in the literature, but none is generally accepted. Recent CT studies mainly considered the angle of deviation, [10][11][12] whereas other anatomical parameters of NSD such as single or double curve, presence of the spur, and which septal structure is affected by deviation (bone or cartilage) were not examined at all in the context of the nasal obstruction severity. Currently, there is no CT study that comprehensively evaluated different morphological modalities of NSD and connected them with the subjective perception of nasal obstruction.…”

“…10 By contrast, others recommend CT for NSD evaluation because of a good correlation between NSD and subjectively assessed nasal obstruction. 11,12 Lee and his team recommend CT examination of NSD before septoplasty, especially for deviations in the middle and posterior parts of the nasal septum. 11 In addition, there is no standard way of grading NSD on CT images.…”