Empty nose syndrome case study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18203/issn.2454-5929.ijohns20260797Keywords:
Empty nose syndrome, Turbinate reduction, Nasal airflow, Intranasal packing, Cotton test, Rhinological disordersAbstract
Empty nose syndrome (ENS) is a rare rhinological disorder secondary to excessive loss of nasal turbinate tissue. This case study presents a 33-year-old male who developed ENS following functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). Despite significant improvement of rhinosinusitis severity and incidence, the patient experienced severe facial pain and suffocation sensation during nasal breathing starting several months postoperatively. Diagnosis was confirmed using the ENS6Q and a positive cotton test. An in-office intervention was successful in temporarily alleviating symptoms and improving quality of life. This intervention was placement of intranasal dissolvable packing (Nova Pack). After three weeks, the symptoms did recur. However, the patient was extremely grateful for temporary relief from his symptoms. This case highlights an in-office short-term remedy for ENS severe symptoms, which may be extremely helpful for these difficult-to-treat patients.
Metrics
References
Gordiienko IM, Gubar OS, Sulik R, Kunakh T, Zlatskiy I, Zlatska A. Empty nose syndrome pathogenesis and cell-based biotechnology products as a new option for treatment. World J Stem Cells. 2021;13(9):1293-306. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4252/wjsc.v13.i9.1293
Velasquez N, Thamboo A, Habib AR, Huang Z, Nayak JV. The Empty Nose Syndrome 6-Item Questionnaire (ENS6Q): a validated 6-item questionnaire as a diagnostic aid for empty nose syndrome patients. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2017;7(1):64-71. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/alr.21842
Sozansky J, Houser SM. Pathophysiology of empty nose syndrome. Laryngoscope. 2015;125(1):70-4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/lary.24813
Gill AS, Said M, Tollefson TT, Steele TO. Update on empty nose syndrome: disease mechanisms, diagnostic tools, and treatment strategies. Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2019;27(4):237-42. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/MOO.0000000000000544
Malik J, Thamboo A, Dholakia S, Borchard NA, McGhee S, Li C, et al. The cotton test redistributes nasal airflow in patients with empty nose syndrome. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2020;10(4):539-45. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/alr.22489
Dholakia SS, Yang A, Kim D, Borchard NA, Chang MT, Khanwalkar A, et al. Long-term outcomes of inferior meatus augmentation procedure to treat empty nose syndrome. Laryngoscope. 2021;131(11):E2736-41. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/lary.29593
Kim DH, Basurrah MA. Surgical and regenerative treatment options for empty nose syndrome: a systematic review. Clin Exp Otorhinolaryngol. 2024;17(3):241-52. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21053/ceo.2023.00038
Kim DH, Kim SW, Basurrah MA, Hwang SH. Evaluation of Post-Intervention Outcomes in Patients with Empty Nose Syndrome. Laryngoscope. 2024;134(5):2005-11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/lary.31077
Maul X, Thamboo A. The clinical effect of psychosomatic interventions on empty nose syndrome secondary to turbinate-sparing techniques: a prospective self-controlled study. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2021;11(5):955-6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/alr.22724
Esteban-Ortega F, Rosique-Lopez L, Ochoa-Rios JA, Rodriguez-Romero R, Burgos-Olmos MA. Empty nose syndrome: new insights from a CFD approach. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2025;282(3):1319-26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-024-09122-w
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
