A clinical follow-up of septal surgery with special attention to the value of preoperative rhinomanometric examination in the decision concerning operation

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Abstract
A consecutive series of 57 patients who had undergone an operation on the nasal septum was followed up 1.5-3.5 years postoperatively. Rhinomanometric measurements, a clinical examination of the exterior of the nose, and rhinoscopy were performed. These same experiments had been carried out preoperatively and the results recorded preoperatively. The results of the preoperative rhinomanometry were not known to the surgeon and the indication for surgery was based on clinical examination alone. At follow-up the patients also answered a questionnaire. According to the findings at rhinomanometry 52 of the 57 patients had a better airway after the operation. In 11 patients who subjectively did not consider the nasal airways to have been improved by the operation, an allergy or vasomotor rhinitis was found and in some cases the results of preoperative rhinomanometry (total nasal resistance) were normal. To measure the error of the method, a separate series of duplicate measurements was performed on 50 subjects. The standard deviation of the difference between duplicate measurements was found to be 15% of the mean value and the error of the method was considered small enough to justify rhinomanometry as a method for interindividual comparisons, provided the laboratory standard is well known.

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