Citation Information :
Nagarathna HK, Honnegowda T. Clinical Study of Rhinogenic Headache and Its Management in Adults. Clin Rhinol An Int J 2020; 13 (1):5-8.
Introduction: Rhinogenic headache is the secondary headache caused by various sinus pathologies. Aim and objective: To study various etiologies of rhinogenic headache and outcome of its management. Materials and methods: This was a prospective study on 60 patients with rhinogenic headache, presenting to the ENT department of Akash Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Karnataka, India. All patients with rhinogenic headache underwent Diagnostic Nasal Endoscopy (DNE) and X-ray of the paranasal sinuses. High-resolution computed tomography paranasal sinuses were done in patients who were to be managed surgically. Patients were managed according to the etiology by a conservative or surgical method and followed up for 6 months to evaluate the treatment outcome. Results: All the patients were adults, predominantly males 58% and 41% were females. Fifty percent of patients were in the age group of 20–30 years. 38.3% of patients had deviated nasal septum as the cause of rhinogenic headache, while chronic rhinosinusitis 28.3%, acute rhinosinusitis 16.7%, nasal polyposis 10%, allergic rhinitis 3.3%, and concha bullosa 3.3%. Twenty percent of patients underwent conservative management while 80% underwent surgical management like septoplasty, inferior turbinoplasty, and functional endoscopic sinus surgery. 61.7% had complete relief from headache while 31.3% had significant relief from pain. Conclusion: Rhinogenic headache is an important etiology of secondary headache and significantly affects the quality of life. Diagnostic difficulties do exist and the otolaryngologist plays a pivotal role in instituting appropriate treatment. The relevant treatment of the underlying etiology provides a more effective outcome in a patient with rhinogenic headache.
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