Nasal Obstruction and Quality of Life Assessment After Septoplasty With Turbinoplasty: Correlation Between Subjective Scales

Abstract

Background Assessment of nasal obstruction is imprecise due to a low correlation between findings on the physical examination and objective measures with the severity of symptoms reported by the patient even after septoplasty with turbinoplasty is performed. The aim of this study is to evaluate the use of subjective scales, and the correlation between them for the evaluation of nasal obstruction after surgery. Objective To assess the impact of undergoing septoplasty with turbinoplasty to relieve nasal obstructive symptoms and the quality of life in a mid-term period by using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE), and Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI). Methods A retrospective study was conducted of patients who underwent a septoplasty with turbinoplasty due to nasal septodeviation and secondary nasal obstructive symptoms at the Hospital Universitario Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá. Three scales were used to measure the outcomes one year after surgery: VAS (0–10), NOSE (0–100), and GBI (−100 to 100). Results Data from 56 patients (21 females, mean age 37.5 years of age, SD 12.13) was collected. The results showed that 75% of the patients had a post-surgical NOSE score below 50 and a VAS score below 6. Regarding the GBI scale, 75% of the patients improved in their quality of life. An inverse proportional correlation was found between the NOSE and GBI scales (rho = −0.3682) (95% CI −0.579 to –0.111), and there was a directly proportional correlation between the NOSE and VAS scales (rho = 0.7440) (95% CI 0.595 to 0.844). Conclusion Subjective measures suggest there was an improvement in nasal obstructive symptoms and quality of life after surgery. Non-anatomical causes such as rhinitis can be confounding factors to consider in subsequent studies. VAS stands out as a possible interchangeable scale with NOSE to measure nasal obstruction in these patients.