Headache Characteristics in Rhinologic Patients and the Role of Surgical Treatment

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Even though headache is a common symptom in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) or nasal septal deviation (NSD), there are very few recent reports investigating headache characteristics in rhinologic patients. Therefore, we investigated the headache characteristics and differences in CRS and NSD patients who were diagnosed by computerized tomography and endoscopic exams. METHODS: We enrolled 257 patients who had undergone nasal and sinus surgery between January 2012 and December 2013. The subjects were divided into a CRS group (n=147) and NSD group (n=110). They were asked to fill out a Sinonasal Outcome Test (SNOT-20) and questionnaire about pre-operation headaches (1 day prior) and post-operation headaches (1 month after) they experienced, to evaluate their sinonasal symptoms and headache characteristics. RESULTS: There was no significant pre-operative difference in rhinologic symptoms and headache characteristics between the CRS and NSD groups. Females experienced more headaches. Both groups reported significant improvements to their headaches after surgery; however, we found no significant differences in the degree of improvement between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant difference in the headache characteristics and the degree of post-operative improvement between the CRS and NSD groups. Surgical treatments appear to reduce headaches in patients with rhinologic diseases.