Assessment of nasal patency after rhinoplasty through the Glatzel mirror

Victor Diniz de Pochat; Nivaldo Alonso; Rogério Rafael da Silva Mendes; Paula Rocha Gravina; Eduardo Valente Cronenberg; José Valber Lima Meneses

doi:10.7162/S1809-97772012000300007

International Archives of Otorhinolaryngology, Table of Contents

Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol 2012; 16(03): 341-345
DOI: 10.7162/S1809-97772012000300007

Original Article

Thieme Publicações Ltda Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Assessment of nasal patency after rhinoplasty through the Glatzel mirror

Victor Diniz de Pochat

¹MD, PhD. Substitute Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery in the Federal University of Bahia - Medical School.

,

Nivaldo Alonso

²MD, Full Professor. Chief of Craniofacial Surgery Department in the Clinical Hospital - USP. Division of Plastic Surgery - HC-FMUSP, São Paulo/SP.

,

Rogério Rafael da Silva Mendes

³MD. Past President of LBCP. Medical School of Federal University of Bahia, Salvador/BA.

,

Paula Rocha Gravina

⁴Medical Student. President of LBCP. Federal University of Bahia. Salvador/BA

,

Eduardo Valente Cronenberg

⁵Medical Student. Federal University of Bahia. Salvador/BA.

,

José Valber Lima Meneses

⁶MD, PhD. Associate Professor. Chief of the Plastic Surgery in the HUPES. Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery. HUPES - UFBA, Salvador/BA.

› Author Affiliations

Abstract

Summary

Introduction: Objective evaluation of nasal function is a constant challenge for plastic surgeons, otolaryngologists, and allergists. The modified Glatzel mirror can evaluate nasal expiratory flow; however, there is little information on this method and its use in the measurement of nasal patency after surgical procedures.

Objective: To compare, in a prospective study, the functional results before and after cosmetic rhinoplasty and evaluate the use of the Glatzel mirror as an objective method to assess nasal patency.

Methods: To achieve this objective, we analyzed the functional results of surgery through a subjective questionnaire and objective evaluation through a modified Glatzel mirror, and evaluated the correlation between the 2 methods. Twenty patients (14 women and 6 men) underwent aesthetic rhinoplasty using spreader grafts. Pre- and postoperative evaluation (90–120 days) included a respiratory quality score (subjective) and modified Glatzel mirror test (objective). Subsequently, the Spearman test was used to compare the pre- and postoperative subjective and objective data.

Results: The subjective evaluation demonstrated a statistical difference between pre- and postoperative scores (8 ± 2 and 9.4 ± 0.7, P ≤ 0.001). There was no statistical difference in mean nasal patency by modified Glatzel mirror. No statistically significant correlation was observed when comparing the modified Glatzel mirror values with the subjective scores reported by patients pre- or postoperatively.

Conclusion: The Glatzel method lacks sensitivity in detecting patient-reported improvements in breathing following rhinoplasty. This suggests that the method is a poor assessment tool to detect small, post-surgical changes in the nasal airways.

Keywords

evaluation - rhinoplasty - respiration

Full Text

References

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