Effect of Functional Nasal Surgery on Craniofacial Pain: A Prospective Cohort Study

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-1-2026

Publication Title

The Laryngoscope

Keywords

Humans, Male, Female, Prospective Studies, Middle Aged, Facial Pain, Nasal Obstruction, Adult, Treatment Outcome, Nasal Surgical Procedures, Quality of Life, Pain Measurement

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Functional nasal surgery reliably alleviates nasal obstruction and improves quality of life. However, functional nasal surgery's effect on craniofacial pain (CFP) has been incompletely studied. This study analyzed CFP outcomes following functional nasal surgery.

METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted with patients who underwent functional nasal surgery for nasal obstruction over 18 months by two surgeons. Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE, 0-20) and facial pain scores (FPS, 0-5) were collected preoperatively and postoperatively. NOSE and FPS changes were compared between patients with FPS ≥ 2 versus FPS <  2 (i.e., with vs. without preoperative CFP).

RESULTS: Of 91 patients, mean age was 45.6 years and 62.6% were male. Preoperatively, 36 patients had bothersome CFP, and 12/36 (33.3%) had primary headache disorders. Preoperative mean FPSs were 3.2 and 0.2 for those with versus without preoperative FP, respectively. Mean durations to second and third postoperative visits were 47.7 and 203.1 days, respectively. Across all patients, mean NOSE scores were significantly reduced at each follow-up (-9.5, p <  0.0001). Patients with preoperative CFP achieved significantly greater reductions in FPSs at second (-1.74 vs. +0.24, p <  0.0001) and third (-2.20 vs. +0.04, p <  0.0001) postoperative visits, and this was not affected by presence of headache disorders or allergic rhinitis (p > 0.05). The relative risk (RR) of having FPS ≥ 2 was also significantly reduced at second (RR = 0.44, p = 0.0002) and third (RR = 0.33, p = 0.003) postoperative visits.

CONCLUSION: In patients with nasal obstruction and CFP preoperatively, functional nasal surgery led to significant improvements in both nasal obstruction and CFP, and these improvements persisted at about 6 months postoperatively.

Medical Subject Headings

Humans; Male; Female; Prospective Studies; Middle Aged; Facial Pain; Nasal Obstruction; Adult; Treatment Outcome; Nasal Surgical Procedures; Quality of Life; Pain Measurement

PubMed ID

41117789

ePublication

ePub ahead of print

Volume

136

Issue

4

First Page

1649

Last Page

1655

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