A Review of Advancements in Nasal Airway Measurement

Medical therapies and operative techniques for intra-nasal disease are constantly evolving; it is therefore imperative that outcomes from treatments and operative techniques can be objectively measured to ensure surgical efficacy. Investigations that measure the nasal airway can help to guide the management of sino-nasal diseases, which can subsequently have a significant impact on patients’ quality of life. Subjective methods of measurement include; anterior rhinoscopy, rigid nasendoscopy, VAS score and SNOT-22. Objective measures include; nasal peak flow testing, acoustic rhinometry, anterior/posterior rhinomanometry and imaging studies. Unfortunately, many objective measurement techniques correlate poorly with patients’ perceptions of disease severity, which questions the clinical relevance of these techniques. Robust, objective methods for measuring the nasal airway may help to guide future treatments, and should ideally correlate with patients’ symptoms to truly tackle the burden of nasal disease.