Assessment of Surgical Results in Patients With Empty Nose Syndrome Using the 25-Item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test Evaluation

Abstract

Empty nose syndrome (ENS) is an iatrogenic disorder most often recognized by the presence of paradoxical nasal obstruction despite an objectively wide nasal fosse.¹ Patients may experience ENS after undergoing inferior turbinate resection or middle turbinate resection; however, ENS is also associated in individuals who have normal turbinate tissue and intranasal volume. Not every patient undergoing a radical turbinate procedure experiences the debilitating symptoms of ENS, but once it occurs, ENS severely affects the normal breathing function of the nasal cavity. As in patients with atrophic rhinitis, patients with ENS experience primarily mucosal dryness, nasal congestion, facial pain and headache on inspiration, and excessive crusting and discharge, although the severity of these symptoms varies substantially among individuals.^2,3 Empty nose syndrome contributes to a significant number of sick days missed from work, decreased productivity, and lifestyle disruption.