The Role of Nasal Endoscopy in the Management of Rhinosinogenic Headache

Nasal endoscopy is one of the common out-patient diagnostic procedures in ENT practice. Patients suffering from persistent rhinosinogenic headache which is not responding to standard medical management demand a thorough evaluation that incorporates diagnostic nasal endoscopy (DNE). Rhinosinogenic headache is multifactorial which includes contact point, deviated nasal septum, inferior turbinate hypertrophy, nasal polyposis and sinusitis. To identify the particular cause of the headache is necessary for appropriate management. We conducted a prospective observational study to assess the role of nasal endocopy in diagnosis and management of rhinosinogenic headache persisting for at least 3 months, over a period of one and half year. Thirty patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. We categorized the headache as mild, moderate and severe. After DNE, we found that 93.33% (n = 28) had deviated nasal septum (DNS), 40% (n = 12) had septal spur, 10% (n = 3) had polyp, 50% (n = 15) had contact point, 67% (n = 20) had inferior turbinate hypertrophy (ITH), 26.67% (n = 8) had pneumatised middle turbinate or concha bullosa and 50% (n = 15) patients of sinusitis. After computed tomographic evaluation, 30% (n = 9) patients underwent septoplasty, 20% (n = 6) underwent endoseptoplasty, 40% (n = 12) underwent middle turbinate lateralisation (MTL), 16.67% (n = 5) underwent FESS, 30% (n = 9) underwent FESS with endoseptoplasty, 3.33% (n = 1) Caldwell Luc's operation for unilateral maxillary polyp with sinusitis. Postoperatively we found that, 86.67% (n = 26) had total relief, 6.67% (n = 2) had partial improvement and 6.67% (n = 2) had no improvement of headache. Our study demonstrates that nasal endoscopy has significant role in diagnosis and management of rhinosinogenic headache.