Long-term results in patients with headaches related to nasal obstruction

To determine if the results found at one year follow-up examinations after functional nasal surgery were valid, 70 patients suffering from both nasal obstruction and headache were reexamined 5-8 years after Cottle-type septorhinoplasties. Even though the overall rate of cure was constant, a number of patients within the different groups changed symptom patterns when contrasted to the immediate result. Although the men were more often relieved of their headaches, this tendency was not significant when compared to the one year result. Present findings show that headache can be associated with nasal obstruction due to deformities of the cartilaginous and bony septum and that the headache can be significantly reduced after a successful surgical correction. Further, this result can be stable over the years.