Internal Nasal Valve: Revisited With Objective Facts
Presented at the 28th Turkish National Congress of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery and 3rd Joint Meeting of the Turkish OHNS Society and American Academy of OHNS, Antalya, Turkey, May 21-26, 2005.
Objectives
Comprehensive examination of the internal nasal valve (INV) using objective methods.
Study design and setting
In this prospective study, 248 nasal cavities were examined by nasal endoscopy, acoustic rhinometry (ARM), and rhinomanometry (RMM).
Results
Endoscopic examination allowed to suggest a novel classification of INV: convex, concave, sharp angle, blunt angle, twisted caudal border, and angle occupied by the septal body. The INV angle occupied with septal body type was found to have increased nasal resistances compared with the sharp-angled internal nasal valve type (P < 0.05). Convex, concave, and sharp-angle types of INV angles were found different (P < 0.01).
Conclusions
INV should be examined objectively before any INV surgery. A novel description of the INV configurations and their effects on nasal respiration found in this study may increase our understanding and lead surgical approaches more adequately. A surgical attempt to augment INV angle value may impact positively on nasal resistance.
EBM rating: C-4
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Inonu University School of Medicine.
Reprint requests: Murat Cem Miman, MD, Associate Professor, Inonu University, School of Medicine, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, 44069 Malatya, Turkey.
ABSTRACT