Prevalence and Identification of Nasal Airway Obstruction in Patients Presenting to Otolaryngology Clinics: Results From a Large Descriptive Practice Survey.

Objective: Determine the prevalence of nasal airway obstruction (NAO) in patients presenting to general otolaryngology clinics using the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation Scale (NOSE) score as a screening tool. Study Design: The clinic staff at 149 otolaryngology specialty clinics geographically distributed in the United States administered the NOSE Scale assessment to 3533 patients presenting to the clinics over a period of 1 week, regardless of the reason for the visit. All patients completed the NOSE Scale score, and additional data were collected, including the primary reason for the visit. Demographic and patient characteristics were summarized using frequencies and percentages for categorical variables. Results: The overall mean NOSE Scale score for the 3533 patients surveyed was 37.6 (SD 31.5). A total of 37.4% (1320/3533) of surveyed patients, regardless of visit reason, had severe/extreme NAO symptoms. Overall, the most common visit reason category was "Other" (61.2%, 2162/3533), followed by "NAO" (22.6%, 798/3533) and "Sinus" (16.2%, 573/3533). The mean NOSE scores for patients in each of the visit categories were 23.4 (SD 25.9), 64.7 (SD 23.3), and 53.3 (SD 28.1); for "Other," "NAO," and "Sinus," respectively. Among the patients coming in with "NAO" or "Sinus" as a primary complaint, 76.2% (608/798) and 57.2.% (328/573) had severe or extreme NOSE scores. A total of 17.8% (384/2162) of patients coming in for "Other" reasons had NOSE scores indicating severe/extreme NAO symptoms. Conclusions: The findings of this large, descriptive otolaryngology practice survey found a high prevalence of moderate to severe/extreme NAO among patients presenting to otolaryngology practices. Incorporating assessments, such as the NOSE Scale score and other diagnostic practices into the patient intake workflow and assessments, could help identify symptomatic NAO patients that might otherwise be overlooked.

Nasal airway obstruction: Prevalence and anatomic contributors.

Surgical treatments for nasal airway obstruction (NAO) are commonly offered as part of otolaryngology practice. Anatomic causes include septal deviation, inferior turbinate hypertrophy, and nasal valve collapse (NVC). This study was performed to determine the prevalence of anatomic contributors to NAO. A total of 1,906 patients with sinonasal complaints were surveyed by 50 otolaryngologists in varying U.S. geographic regions. Patients were first evaluated using the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) instrument to assess the NAO symptoms and their severity. Physicians then examined patients for the presence of the three anatomic contributors. Presence of septal deviation and turbinate hypertrophy was assessed through an internal nasal exam with direct or endoscopic visualization based on the physician's standard methodology for diagnosis. Presence of NVC was determined by the modified Cottle maneuver. Among all patients surveyed, prevalence was 67% for NVC, 76% for septal deviation, and 72% for inferior turbinate hypertrophy. We found that 64% of the patients (n = 1,211) had severe/extreme NOSE scores (≥55), representing the most likely nasal obstruction candidates for intervention. In these patients, the prevalence of NVC, septal deviation, and inferior turbinate hypertrophy was 73, 80, and 77%, respectively. Eighty-two percent of the 236 patients with severe/extreme NOSE scores who reported prior septoplasty and/or inferior turbinate reduction had NVC. Our study revealed a comparable prevalence of all three anatomic contributors across all patients and the subset with severe/extreme NOSE scores, highlighting the importance of evaluating the lateral nasal wall as a component of NAO treatment strategy.

Draf III Extension in the Endoscopic Endonasal Transethmoidal, Transcribriform Approach Through the Back Wall of the Frontal Sinus: A Cadaveric Study.

BACKGROUND: The Draf III (modified endoscopic Lothrop) procedure has been proposed to extend the endonasal transethmoidal, transfovea ethmoidalis, and transcribriform approach through the back wall of the frontal sinus. The exposure is time-consuming and increases the risk of cerebrospinal fluid leak, and the indications for use are not well described. There are few data quantifying the advantage it conveys over the approach without the Draf III procedure. METHODS: An endoscopic, endonasal transfovea, transcribriform approach was performed in 5 fresh, injected cadaveric heads. Anatomic boundaries and measurements of the exposure were compared before and after addition of a Draf III procedure. Computed tomography scans were performed before and after dissection, and additional radiographic measurements were made to quantify the additional exposure provided by the Draf III procedure. Also, 2 clinical cases are presented in which a Draf III procedure was used. RESULTS: The mean anterior to posterior boundary from the frontal sinus to the planum sphenoidale before the Draf III procedure was 3.0 cm and after the Draf III procedure was 3.8 cm with an average change of 0.8 cm. After the Draf III procedure, the mean anterior to posterior boundary from the posterior wall of frontal sinus to the planum sphenoidale increased from 3.0 cm to 4.3 cm. There was an average increase of 1.3 cm with an average increased area of view of 1.79 cm(2). CONCLUSIONS: This study quantifies the increased field of view provided by the Draf III procedure during anterior skull base dissection. Recommendations for preoperative examination of radiographic evidence are provided to help identify which individuals would benefit from the additional exposure.

Academic rhinology: a survey of residency programs and rhinology faculty in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Rhinology has rapidly evolved as a subspecialty over the past decade. The professional activities of rhinology faculty in otolaryngology residency programs is an important defining feature of this process but remains incompletely understood. METHODS: An examination of faculty profiles of otolaryngology residency programs in the United States was performed to examine the professional activities of rhinologists. An anonymous, web-based survey of rhinology faculty was also performed to query professional activities and career satisfaction. RESULTS: Nine percent of chairmen and 12% of residency program directors were rhinologists. The number of full-time rhinology faculty members varied significantly among departments (mean 1; range, 0-4). Rhinology faculty members were noted to have a high number of scientific publications over the past 5 years (mean 15 per faculty), a high level of membership to the American Rhinologic Society (90%) and modest levels of membership to other societies. As reported by the 45 respondents who successfully completed the survey, higher percentages of professional time was devoted to clinical medicine when compared with administrative and research activities. Inflammatory sinusitis represented the most common clinical condition treated, and there was variability with respect to other disorders and procedures. Career satisfaction scores were highest for medical and surgical care, teaching activities, financial and emotional well being, and overall career to date. Lower satisfaction scores were noted for research and administrative activities and for balance of personal life with work. CONCLUSION: This study further defines the professional, clinical, and surgical activities of academic rhinologists. Continued analysis of the subspecialization of rhinology is required.

A prospective study of postoperative symptoms in sinonasal quality-of-life following endoscopic skull-base surgery: dissociations based on specific symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic skull-base surgery (ESBS) is a minimal access approach to cranial base pathology; however, it significantly disrupts the intranasal mucosa and intranasal structures, the long-term effects of which are still being studied. We prospectively assessed postoperative changes in sinonasal QOL symptoms following ESBS. METHODS: Eighty-five patients were prospectively assessed with the Anterior Skull Base Questionnaire (ASBQ), a validated QOL instrument, preoperatively and up to 1 year postoperatively at each subsequent office visit. A subset of these data was analyzed to assess the effect of endoscopic pituitary surgery on postoperative taste, smell, appetite, nasal secretions, and vision. RESULTS: ESBS patients were divided into 2 cohorts: those undergoing pituitary adenoma surgery and those undergoing ESBS for all other pathologies. Preoperative smell (3.11 vs 3.76, p = 0.03) and taste (3.04 vs 3.69, p = 0.03) were significantly lower in the nonpituitary group. Within the pituitary group both taste (3.69 vs 2.95, p = 0.03) and smell (3.76 vs 2.61, p ≤ 0.001) were significantly decreased by 6 weeks postoperatively. However, by 12 months both taste and smell scores returned to baseline. Vision scores improved by 3 weeks postoperatively with durable results at 1 year (2.80 vs 3.33, p = 0.04 vs 3.59, p = 0.03, respectively). Within the nonpituitary group, smell was decreased at 3 weeks, but was not significantly changed at any other time points. CONCLUSION: Our study indicates a dissociation between the nasal and visual QOL after ESBS. While nasal QOL transiently decreases, visual QOL progressively improves. These data should not be lumped together for the purposes of statistical analysis.

Endoscopic endonasal approaches to the cavernous sinus.

BACKGROUND: Surgical access to the cavernous sinus (CS) has proven a challenge for the skull base surgeon. Traditional approaches include the transcranial route, which broaches the lateral wall of the CS and has a high risk of cranial nerve weakness. A medial approach is more logical but the microscopic transsphenoidal approach has a restricted view. The endoscopic endonasal approach provides an alternative medial approach with improved visualization to that provided with the microscope. We describe our results using this approach for resection of CS tumors. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed of all patients treated surgically at a tertiary care referral center between January 2004 and February 2011 with a purely endoscopic endonasal approach to the CS. RESULTS: Out of 400 total endoscopic skull base cases, 41 (10.3%) involved the cavernous sinus. The most common approach was the transsphenoidal transsellar approach (31 patients, 75.6%). Other approaches included the tran-sethmoidal transsphenoidal parasellar (4 patients, 9.8%) and transmaxillary transpterygoidal (6 patients, 14.6%). The most common pathology was pituitary macroadenoma (24 patients, 58.5%). Gross total resection was achieved in 18 patients (43.9%). Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak was not encountered in any patient postoperatively. Complications included 1 case of new postoperative VIth nerve palsy, 1 case of intraoperative hemorrhage, 2 cases of persistent diabetes insipidus, and 2 cases of sinusitis. CONCLUSION: The endoscopic endonasal approach is a safe and effective option for tumor resection in the CS using a medial to lateral route for selected cases. Morbidity is low and a variety of reconstructive options are available.

Interrater agreement of nasal endoscopy for chronic rhinosinusitis.

BACKGROUND: Nasal endoscopy is a routine, important diagnostic tool in the evaluation of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Although the procedure is ideally "objective," the subjective nature of endoscopy interpretation and lack of standardization are potential limitations. The goal of this study was to examine the interrater agreement of various categories of nasal endoscopy findings in patients undergoing evaluation for CRS. METHODS: Fourteen patients (28 sides) with CRS underwent clinical evaluation, SNOT-22, sinus computed tomography (CT), and digital video nasal endoscopy. Five academic rhinologists blindly reviewed the endoscopies for structural anatomic issues, inflammatory rhinosinusitis findings, and atypical lesions. Statistical comparison of the endoscopy interpretations was performed using the unweighted Fleiss' kappa statistic (K(f) ). RESULTS: The mean Lund-Mackay CT scan score was 7.8 (standard deviation [SD] 4.9) and the mean SNOT-22 score was 35.8 (SD 22.7). Significant variability was noted among the raters with respect to the various categories of nasal endoscopy findings. The overall levels of interrater agreement for the various categories were as follows: "almost perfect" for atypical lesions (K(f) = 0.912); "substantial" for nasal polyps (K(f) = 0.693); "moderate" for nasal discharge (K(f) = 0.422) and mucosal inflammatory changes of the middle turbinate (K(f) = 0.413); and "fair" for edema of the middle meatus (K(f) = 0.214), obstruction by nasal septum deviation (K(f) = 0.240), and obstruction by the middle turbinate (K(f) = 0.276). CONCLUSION: Significant variability was noted in the interrater agreement for nasal endoscopy findings in this study, with relatively limited agreement on some of the key findings of the procedure. Additional investigation and standardization of nasal endoscopy interpretation is required to improve the clinical utility of the procedure.

A pilot study of balloon dilation in an animal model resulting in cricoid cartilage fracture: implications for the stenotic pediatric airway.

OBJECTIVE: Endoscopic balloon dilation is increasingly popular as primary therapy for infants with subglottic stenosis. We aim to determine the maximum balloon diameter and pressure where no fracture of the cricoid would occur, minimum balloon size and pressures where a gross fracture of the cricoid occurs, and location of these fractures. We tested these objectives by performing balloon dilation in laryngotracheal complexes of eight euthanized adult male New Zealand white rabbits, with airway characteristics similar to a 3- to 9-month-old infant. METHODS: Subglottic airway diameter of each specimen was determined using endotracheal tubes (Cotton-Myer grading system). Preexistent subglottic disease was excluded by rigid endoscopy. Serial dilation with balloon catheters was performed, employing incremental balloon sizes and pressures, to determine balloon size and pressure, which resulted in a cricoid fracture. Locations of gross fractures were validated by two independent observers. RESULTS: Airway diameter of all specimens was 5.4 mm (size 4.0 endotracheal tube). Four of the seven cricoid cartilages exhibited gross fractures. Dilation with balloon diameters less than 6.0 mm failed to induce a fracture despite maximal inflation to 16.0 atmospheres. The minimum balloon size required to create a fracture was 7.0 mm, at a pressure of 6.0 atmospheres. All fractures occurred at the anterior lamina of cricoid ring. CONCLUSIONS: No fractures occurred when balloon dilation was performed with a balloon 0.6 mm or smaller than the measured subglottic diameter. Fractures of the cricoid occurred when balloon dilation was performed with a balloon 1.6 mm or larger than the subglottic diameter.