Nasal patency as a factor for successful transnasal endoscopy

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Otorhinolaryngology
• Medical Devices

Background:

• Transnasal endoscopy offers safety and convenience but often causes patient discomfort.
• Nasal pain is a significant issue for patients undergoing transnasal endoscopy.
• The relationship between nasal patency and patient discomfort is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between uncomfortable factors during transnasal endoscopy and nasal patency.
• To determine the clinical significance of nasal patency in transnasal endoscopy.

Main Methods:

• 23 patients undergoing transnasal endoscopy had nasal resistance measured pre-procedure.
• Patients completed a questionnaire assessing pain, nausea, and choking on a visual analogue scale.
• Endoscope insertion side was based on patient preference.

Main Results:

• Nasal pain was the most reported discomfort (45%), followed by nausea (18%) and choking (9%).
• Higher unilateral nasal resistance was significantly correlated with increased nasal pain (P = 0.0135).
• Mean scores for nasal pain, choking, and nausea were 3.0, 1.7, and 1.6, respectively.

Conclusions:

• Nasal pain is the primary challenge during transnasal endoscopy.
• Nasal patency is a clinically significant factor influencing patient pain.
• Optimizing the insertion side based on nasal patency can improve patient tolerance.