Clinical Significance of Peak Nasal Inspiratory Flow to Assess Outcome Before and After Septoplasty Surgery

Year 2025, Volume: 8 Issue: 2, 68 - 72, 31.08.2025

S Sathiyabama Ahmed Mustafa

https://doi.org/10.65396/ejra.1825464

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to compare pre- and post-operative peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) measurements to evaluate the benefits of septoplasty. Methods: A prospective study was conducted at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology in a tertiary healthcare center in Coimbatore from January 2019 to December 2021. Outpatient cases presenting with complaints of nasal blackness, along with severe and extreme nasal obstruction and septoplasty effectiveness (NOSE) scores, were included. PNIF was measured at baseline and after one month to analyze and compare the effectiveness of septoplasty.
RESULTS
The present study included data from 60 participants, of whom 23.3% were females and 76.7% were males. The preoperative PNIF was 51.17±6.40 L/min, while the postoperative PNIF was 119.33±14.13 L/min, with this difference being significant (p<0.001) and a positive correlation observed (r=0.440). Age had a significant negative correlation with both pre-op PNIF (r=-0.615, p<0.001) and post-op PNIF (r=-0.388, p=0.002). The difference in post-op PNIF was significant (p<0.001), with males showing greater improvement (mean post-op PNIF of 125.43 L/min) compared to females (99.29 L/min).
CONCLUSION
The results of this study suggest that septoplasty is an effective procedure for improving the mean PNIF among patients with nasal obstructions.

Keywords

Nasal airway obstruction , Septoplasty , Peak nasal inspiratory flow , Effectiveness

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