Minimally invasive nasal valve repair: An evaluation using the NOSE scale.

OBJECTIVE To determine the efficacy of a new surgical procedure to correct symptoms of nasal obstruction secondary to internal nasal valve narrowing. DESIGN Consecutive case series. SETTING Tertiary care multispecialty clinic. PATIENTS Patients with symptoms of nasal obstruction for at least 1 year, a closed but otherwise anatomically normal nasal valve, and resolution of symptoms with lateralization of the upper lateral cartilage. INTERVENTION Surgical correction of nasal valve stenosis by fibrocartilaginous resection and imbrication at the caudal upper lateral cartilage. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Validated Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) scale score. RESULTS Highly significant improvement was seen in nasal obstruction symptoms after the procedure. A significant correlation between the reported improvement and the preoperative NOSE scale scores was demonstrated (P < .01). There was poor correlation of symptomatic improvement with acoustic rhinometry measurements. CONCLUSIONS The described surgical repair is highly successful in relieving symptoms of nasal obstruction due to nasal valve stenosis in this selected group of patients. Patients with more severe symptoms of obstruction derive the greatest benefit.