The correlation of the results of the survey SNOT-20 of objective studies of nasal obstruction and the geometry of the nasal cavities.

INTRODUCTION

In this paper were verified the correlation between the results of the survey SNOT-20 and the results of the objective tests of nasal obstruction which are rhinomanometry and acoustic rhinometry before and after surgical treatment, such as septoplasty, septoconchoplasty, ethmoidectomy and septoethmoidectomy.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The material used in this study was 233 patients diagnosed routinely in the Rhinomanometry Laboratory of the Department of Otolaryngology at the Medical University of Warsaw, reporting rhinological problems. Data were obtained from 70 women (31,4%) ranging in ages from 18 to 81 years of age and 153 men (68,6%) ranging in ages from 16 to 81 years of age. The researches presented in the study were made using the device RhinoMetrics SRE 2100 which combines the Rhinomanometer (RhinoStream) and Acoustic Rhinometer (RhinoScan) Interacoustics AS (Denmark). Survey SNOT-20 (Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-20) in Polish was completed by patients before surgery and during the postoperative control visits.

RESULTS

The calculated correlations between the objective parameter, which was the resistance to the flow of air through the nasal cavity , and the subjective feelings of respondents expressed in the survey SNOT-20 were generally weak, and statistical significance was achieved with respect to the first question survey (the severity of the nose obstruction) for all components of resistance flow.

DISCUSSION

The feeling of nasal obstruction is the most reproducible and reliable complaint reported by the patient with rhinological problems.