Objective Outcome Measures in Nasal Valve Repair and Nasal Obstruction.

Abstract

The diagnosis of nasal valve compromise (NVC) is clinical. However, objective evaluation of the nasal airway can support the clinical diagnosis of NVC and quantify the derangement produced by NVC in nasal airflow and in nasal airway resistance. Computational fluid dynamics analysis can quantify disturbances of the normal nasal airway conditions and, furthermore, localize these disturbances to the nasal valve. Objective evaluation of the nasal airway is useful to assess the results of surgery addressing the nasal valve, being able to quantify the improvement in nasal airflow, nasal airway resistance and nasal airway dimensions achieved by surgery.