Rhinomanometry. IV. A pre- and postoperative evaluation in functional septoplasty.

One hundred patients, subjected to functional septoplasty, were examined pre- and postoperatively with anterior rhinomanometry, questionnaire and rhinoscopy. Nasal airway resistance was described as a resistance (R2) for clinical, and as an angle of the pressure-flow curve (v2) for statistical use. Before operation uni- or bilateral R2 after mucosal decongestion was abnormally high in 72 of the patients. Regression analysis showed that patients with a preoperative R2 greater than 4.5 cmH2O/(l/sec) in at least one cavity were improved after surgery, as shown by rhinomanometry. Patients with such postoperative improvement were significantly more often satisfied and free from nasal obstruction than patients with decreased nasal patency. It is concluded that rhinomanometry is an indispensable aid in the selection of patients for functional septoplasty and for assessing the results of operation.