Background
Patients suffering from nasal obstruction due to external nasal valve dysfunction may benefit from either corrective surgery or a conservative approach with a nasal dilator. At present, devices for widening the external nasal valve region can be ap- plied externally or endonasally. It remains unknown to what extent the endonasal dilator Airmax® objectively improves the nasal flow and can be offered as an alternative for surgery.
Methodology
Thirty patients suffering from nasal obstruction due to external nasal valve problems were proposed to use the nasal dilator for 4 weeks as an alternative for corrective surgery. The improvement of nasal flow by the dilator was evaluated by measuring the peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF). Then, patients were asked for their willingness to continue to use the nasal dilator or to undergo nasal valve surgery.