Review supports rhinoplasty for nasal airway obstruction

(HealthDay)—For adults with nasal airway obstruction, repair of the lateral nasal wall is effective, according to a review published online March 15 in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery.

Cherian K. Kandathil, M.D., from the Stanford University School of Medicine in California, and colleagues examined the effectiveness of repair of the lateral nasal wall in adults with nasal airway obstruction. Ten observational studies were included in the analysis, with a pooled study sample of 324 participants.

The researchers found that the pooled effect size for functional rhinoplasty was −47.7 points (95 percent confidence interval, −53.4 to 42.1) on the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation scale when all the repeated measures were combined together, with 72 percent heterogeneity. The pooled effect sizes were similar in short-, mid-, and long-term follow-ups (−45, −48.4, and −49 points).

"The pooled effect size of 10 observational studies supported the effectiveness of functional rhinoplasty for the treatment of nasal airway obstruction caused by lateral nasal wall insufficiency," the authors write. "To improve the level of evidence, randomized clinical trials are needed."

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