Surgical management of nasal stenosis following chemoradiation for nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Abstract

Abstract Background: Nasal stenosis is a rare but significant complication of chemoradiation treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. It can cause distressing obstructive symptoms for the patient and potentially interfere with monitoring for recurrence. Quality-of-life indicators are known to be very poor in this group of patients; however, there is very little evidence in the literature as to management of this complication. Methods: This paper presents an endoscopic day-case surgical procedure to address total posterior nasal stenosis, as conducted in three patients, which involves division of adhesions and removal of the posterior septum and posterior inferior turbinates, without the need for packing or stenting. Results: In this series, there was resolution of obstructive symptoms and no recurrence of stenosis during follow up (up to 20 months). Conclusion: This endoscopic procedure performed to manage total nasal stenosis differs from those previously described in the literature, as post-operative stenting or packing is not required, and removal of the posterior aspect of the septum is performed routinely.