Postoperative improvement in acoustic rhinometry measurements after septoplasty correlates with long-term satisfaction

BACKGROUND: Not much is known about long-term satisfaction of septoplasty. Our goal was to compare pre- and postoperative acoustic rhinometry measurements with satisfaction 11 years after surgery.

METHODOLOGY: Acoustic rhinometry measurements were performed preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively. Satisfaction was evaluated with semi-structured interviews by telephone 11 years after surgery. Symptoms were evaluated using the NOSE score.

RESULTS: In total, 222 patients were interviewed and eligible to enter the study. Of these, 213 had preoperative acoustic rhinometry and 159 had postoperative acoustic rhinometry. In total, 157 patients had a complete data set. Mean follow-up time was 11.3 years. Patients satisfied with surgery had a bigger improvement in total minimum cross-sectional area before decongestion and total nasal cavity volume after decongestion. NOSE scores were not correlated with acoustic rhinometry measurements.

CONCLUSION: Acoustic rhinometry could be a valuable tool for evaluating the results of septoplasty. Satisfaction at 11 years follow-up was associated with 3 months postoperative acoustic rhinometry improvements. Acoustic rhinometry did not show preoperative patient selection potential.