Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-22 quality of life patterns in patients presenting with nasal septal perforation

Abstract

Objectives

To assess the impact of nasal septal perforation on quality of life.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

Rhinology clinics from two hospitals in Liverpool, United Kingdom.

Participants

Patients diagnosed with nasal septal perforation (NSP).

Main outcome measures

Patients (n=26) diagnosed with NSP completed the Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-22 (SNOT-22). The collated data was compared with SNOT-22 scores from a cohort of healthy volunteers (n=34) and a cohort of patients (n=30) diagnosed with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).

Results

The mean total SNOT-22 score of NSP and CRS cohorts were higher than that observed in healthy volunteers. The mean total SNOT-22 score in the CRS cohort (57.2, standard deviation SD 10.3) was the higher than NSP (50.2, SD 23.5), although this difference did not achieve statistical significance. The mean score for the rhinologic-specific domains (rhinologic symptoms, extra-nasal rhinologic symptoms), ear/facial symptoms and psychological dysfunction domain were higher in the CRS cohort compared to NSP, although statistical significance was only observed in the extranasal rhinologic symptoms domain (11.2, SD 2.4 vs. 6.4, SD 4.1). Conversely, the mean sleep dysfunction domain score for NSP (12.7, SD 7.5) was higher than CRS (10.0, SD 4.9 respectively) although this was not statistically significant.

Conclusions

The present study has assessed the clinimetric and psychometric properties of patients suffering with symptomatic NSP. Future reports should consider inclusion of SNOT-22 data but with the addition of perforation-specific symptoms (nasal crusting, epistaxis, whistling noise).

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