• change in resistance to airflow after stents inserted as measured by rhinomanometer [ Time Frame: data collection occurs at one time only, takes less than 5 minutes to record ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

• subjective decrease in nasal obstruction after stents placed recorded by volunteers filling out a survey [ Time Frame: recorded at time of stent placement, one time only ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

Nasal rhinomanometry provides a measure of the airflow through the nose during inspiration and expiration. The effect of static obstructions, such as septal deviation, as well as dynamic obstructions, such as lateral nasal wall collapse, can be measured by the rhinomanometer. The effect of commercially available nasal stents on nasal airflow will be measured. In subjects chosen from the general population, some of whom may not complain of nasal obstruction, the airflow will be measured before and after the placement of removable nasal silastic stents. In addition, these subjects will complete a one question scale in the Likert model to rate the degree of their subjective nasal obstruction; they will complete this both before and after placement of the stents. The results of the scale before and after application of the stents will be correlated with the objective measurements of airflow by rhinomanometry taken before and after stent insertion.Several studies have measured the effect of external nasal splints (such as Breathe-Rite strips) on nasal airflow and nasal airway size (as measured by acoustic rhinometry), but few have studied internal nasal stents. No studies have correlated rhinomanometric evaluation of effect on nasal obstruction by nasal stents with the validated NOSE survey (Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation). In patients with a chief complaint of nasal obstruction and who are noted to have anterior nasal obstruction, nasal stents may provide a satisfactory improvement in nasal airflow without surgical or medicinal intervention. For patients who are determined to be candidates for surgical intervention, the surgical procedure is tailored to their specific anatomic deformities, as determined by the staff facial plastic surgeon. While the patient's complaint of nasal obstruction as well as the surgeon's assessment of the nasal anatomy are important components in the determination of the need for surgical intervention, no studies have utilized the validated NOSE instrument of subjective complaint of nasal obstruction combined with objective measurements of dynamic airflow. Rhinomanometric measurements can be used to further validate the NOSE instrument both preoperatively and postoperatively.