Nasal obstruction symptom evaluation score outcomes in patients awaiting septoplasty at a tertiary ENT centre.

OBJECTIVE: Nasal septoplasty is one of the most performed procedures within ENT. Nasal obstruction secondary to a deviated nasal septum is the primary indication for functional septoplasty. Since the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, waiting lists have increased and are now long. This study assessed patients on the waiting list for septoplasty and/or inferior turbinate reduction surgery using the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation instrument. METHOD: Patients on our waiting list for septoplasty and/or inferior turbinate reduction surgery were reviewed using a validated patient-reported outcome measure tool to assess symptom severity. RESULTS: Eighty-six out of a total of 88 patients (98 per cent) had Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation scores of 30 or more. In addition, 78 (89 per cent) and 50 (57 per cent) patients were classified as having 'severe' or 'extreme' nasal obstruction, respectively. Two patients scored less than 30 and were classified as having non-significant nasal obstruction. CONCLUSION: The Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation instrument is a quick and easy way to validate septoplasty waiting lists. In this study, two patients were identified who no longer required surgery.

Endoscopic Endonasal Repair and Reconstruction of Traumatic Anterior Skull Base Defects.

Eighty percent of cerebrospinal fluid leaks (CSF) occur following trauma and complicate 12 to 13% percent of all basilar skull fractures (Prosser, Vender, and Solares, 2011). An endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA) is often the preferred method of repair with greater than 90% success rates (Prosser, Vender, and Solares, 2011). We report a case of a 37-year-old man who presented to our regional level 1 trauma centre with multiple facial injuries. Initial cross-sectional imaging revealed multiple, continuous anterior skull base fractures with associated pneumocephalus. Though initially managed conservatively, the patient represented five days later with unilateral left-sided rhinorrhoea. An endoscopic endonasal repair with a multilayer fat, tensor fascia lata, free mucosal graft, and vascularised local flap reconstruction was undertaken. This case highlights the importance of maintaining a high level of suspicion for delayed CSF leak in traumatic base of skull injury. The EEA enables meticulous dissection and thorough inspection of the skull base, facilitating multilayered repair and reconstruction of defects.