A study of the efficacy of surgical treatment for nasal septal deviation and hypertrophic rhinitis with headache in treating nasal mucosal contact pain

Abstract

Patients with nasal septal deviation and hypertrophic rhinitis may experience chronic headaches. In this retrospective study, we evaluated headache symptom improvement in 8 of 63 patients who had undergone surgical treatment for nasal septum deviation in the past 4 years at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Aichi Medical University Hospital. Fifty-eight of the 63 patients had nasal mucosal contact points on sinus CT or nasal endoscopy, and 8 of these patients experienced headaches. In 7 of the 8 patients, the headaches disappeared or improved after surgery. Notably, all 7 patients with alleviated headaches also presented with allergic rhinitis. Our results indicate that nasal septum deviation surgery or inferior turbinate surgery may ameliorate headaches in patients with nasal septum deviation and allergic rhinitis. Preoperative lidocaine testing appears to be useful in predicting the efficacy of surgery in patients with suspected nasal mucosal contact pain. Long-term monitoring is essential to elucidate the sustained efficacy of surgical intervention in patients with nasal septal deviation.