The role of rhinomanometry in evaluating the effectiveness of laser surgical treatment in children with chronic hypertrophic rhinitis

Abstract. Background. Rhinomanometry is an objective way of assessing nasal patency. Due to advances in technology and the use of microcomputers connected to measuring instruments, the use of this approach has increased. Rhinomanometry evaluates nasal resistance by measuring airflow and transnasal pressure gradient. With the help of this examination, the presence of a nasal respiratory obstruction is detected, and it is evaluated which nosological structure continuously causes it, in this case the hypertrophy of the inferior nasal turbinates. The purpose of the research is to evaluate the effectiveness of the functional examination such as the anterior rhinomanometry in monitoring the results of laser surgical treatment in children with chronic hypertrophic rhinitis. Materials and methods. The given study was carried out in the pediatric otorhinolaryngology clinic of the Emilian Coţaga Republican Children’s Clinical Hospital. The research involved a group of 120 children with hypertrophic chronic rhinitis, aged between 8–17 years, divided into three groups of 40 children each, treated surgically by 3 techniques: group 1 — cauterization of the inferior nasal turbinates with bipolar forceps, group 2 — shaver mucotomy and group 3 — diode laser surgery. In all patients, rhinomanometry was performed as an objective preoperative and postoperative examination on the 7th day, after one month, one year and in 12 months. Results. The analysis of the functional examination results demonstrates that the surgical interventions had a beneficial effect in terms of the recovery of the space parameters of the nasal cavities. A more pronounced improvement of the endonasal architectural indices is determined in group 3 where the diode laser surgical technique was used compared to group 2 — only shaver mucotomy and group 1 where the standard surgical technique of cauterization with bipolar forceps was practiced. Conclusions. The functional rhinomanometric results were statistically different after the surgical treatment in all study groups that indicates an important diagnostic value of this examination in the monitoring of postoperative dynamics