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Medical Treatment
Nasal obstruction from any cause may be alleviated to a mild extent with saline sprays and irrigations or nasal dilators (Breathe-Right® Strips).
Nasal obstruction related to turbinate congestion may be treated with decongestants (Sudafed®); nasal steroid sprays like Flonase® and Rhinocort®, or in the case of allergies, medications like Claritin®, Benadryl®, and Singulair ®. Decongestants are very effective in relieving turbinate obstruction, but are unsuitable for long-term use. Nasal steroid sprays may be useful for patients who have swelling of the turbinates from either allergic or non-allergic causes, and are typically the first-line treatment for chronic nasal obstruction. These medications are generally safe for daily use, year after year. Patients with allergies and turbinate congestion may also benefit from allergy testing and immunotherapy (weekly shots to reduce allergy symptoms). If medical treatment for turbinate enlargement is unsuccessful, a minor procedure to reduce the size of the turbinate called inferior turbinoplasty is performed.
Patients with nasal polyps may sometimes respond to intranasal steroid sprays alone. However, most patients with nasal polyps require surgical removal to restore nasal breathing. Polyps have a tendency to recur if intranasal steroids are not continued after surgery.
Enlarged adenoids can be seen in children and some adolescents. Unless associated symptoms like mouth breathing and recurrent ear infections are severe, no treatment is needed since the adenoid tissue typically shrinks as the child approaches adolescence. If large and symptomatic, the adenoid tissue is removed surgically.
Nasal septal deviations are fixed anatomic obstructions and therefore, are not corrected by medical treatment. A procedure called nasal septoplasty is highly successful in restoring normal nasal breathing in patients with septal deviations.
Causes of Nasal Obstruction l Medical Treatment l Inferior Turbinoplasty l Septoplasty
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