Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (792 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
Any hindrance to the passage of air into and out of the nose. The obstruction may be unilateral or bilateral, and may involve any part of the nasal cavity.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Obstruction, Nasal; Obstructions, Nasal; Nasal Airway Obstruction; Airway Obstruction, Nasal; Obstruction, Nasal Airway; Nasal Blockage; Blockage, Nasal; Blockages, Nasal.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Nose Diseases; Airway Obstruction
Related concepts
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 6,213 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Nasal Obstruction” (counts retrieved 2026-11-04). 1,163 of them (18.7%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2010-2019 with 2,343 records.
Reviews account for 856 records (13.8%) and meta-analyses for 72. Randomized controlled trials number 453 (7.3%) as a share of all records on the topic.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 1,029 |
| 2000-2009 | 1,678 |
| 2010-2019 | 2,343 |
| 2020 onward | 1,163 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 856 | 13.8% |
| Meta-analyses | 72 | 1.2% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 453 | 7.3% |
Method: PubMed query "Nasal Obstruction"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-11-04.
Reading the evidence in respiratory medicine
Research on airway and lung disease mixes lung-function tests, symptom diaries, imaging and hospital records, so what was measured and in whom matters as much as the result. Many conditions here, such as asthma and COPD, vary between people and over time, and exposure studies (smoking, pollution, workplace dust) show association rather than proof of cause. Nothing on this page is advice about treatment or inhalers; anyone with breathing difficulty should seek care from a qualified clinician. Check how the condition was defined, the severity of the people studied and whether outcomes were symptoms, lung function or hospital admissions.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complications in septoplasty based on a large group of 5639 patients | 2018 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 58 | cc by PMID 29770875 · DOI · PMC5992230 |
| The internal nasal valve: a validated grading system and operative guide | 2018 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 31 | cc by PMID 30293091 · DOI · PMC6208712 |
| Relationship between nasal septum morphology and nasal obstruction symptom severity: computed tomography study | 2022 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 15 | cc by PMID 33132090 · DOI · PMC9483930 |
| Functional and esthetic outcomes of functional rhinoplasty for internal nasal valve dysfunction in Asian patients | 2024 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 1 | cc by PMID 38603971 · DOI · PMC11015505 |
Complications in septoplasty based on a large group of 5639 patients [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- PurposeSeptoplasty is a common surgical procedure used for correction of the nasal obstruction caused by a deviated septum.
- Closing excerpt
- ConclusionsMeticulous attention to detail in identifying the appropriate anatomy and maintaining good visualization is the key to a safe and effective septoplasty, enabling for very low complication rate.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (198 words)
PurposeSeptoplasty is a common surgical procedure used for correction of the nasal obstruction caused by a deviated septum. The aim of the study was to identify complications in septoplasty and analyze incidence depending on the surgical technique, based on the material from 2009 till 2017.MethodsThe material consisted of 5639 medical records from patients aged 16-69, operated in the tertiary referral center. Patients were divided into two groups (2784 exclusively with septoplasty and 2855 with combined septoplasty and turbinoplasty). Z test for the equality of two proportions was made to investigate the assumption that the proportions from two populations are equal, based on two samples, one from each population.ResultsComplications were listed according to international standards. Among the whole study group, different types of complications were noted in 193 patients (3.42%). The most frequent complication was excessive bleeding. Significant differences were observed between the two investigated groups. In patients with combined septoplasty and turbinoplasty septal hematoma, hyposmia, prolonged healing due to infection, adhesions and temporary reduced visual acuity were significantly more often encountered.ConclusionsMeticulous attention to detail in identifying the appropriate anatomy and maintaining good visualization is the key to a safe and effective septoplasty, enabling for very low complication rate.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 29770875 · DOI · PMC5992230
The internal nasal valve: a validated grading system and operative guide [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- PurposeNasal obstruction is a highly subjective and commonly reported symptom.
- Closing excerpt
- ConclusionsWe demonstrate a novel, easy to interpret, clinically valuable grading system of the static internal nasal valve that is reliable and reproducible.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (142 words)
PurposeNasal obstruction is a highly subjective and commonly reported symptom. The internal nasal valve (INV) is the rate limiting step to nasal airflow. A static INV grading score was devised with regard to visibility of the middle turbinate.MethodsA prospective study of all patients who underwent primary external functional septorhinoplasty in 2017 for nasal obstruction. All patients' INV score was assessed pre- and postoperatively in a blinded and independent fashion by surgeons of varying seniority.ResultsTwenty-eight patients were studied, with mean age 30.9 years and follow-up 18.8 weeks. Inter-rater and test-retest reliability of INV grading were excellent, with Cronbach's alpha 0.936 and 0.920, respectively. There was also statistically significant improvement in both subjective and objective postoperative outcome measures including nasal inspiratory peak flows.ConclusionsWe demonstrate a novel, easy to interpret, clinically valuable grading system of the static internal nasal valve that is reliable and reproducible.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 30293091 · DOI · PMC6208712
Relationship between nasal septum morphology and nasal obstruction symptom severity: computed tomography study [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- IntroductionThe impact of the nasal septum morphology on the severity of obstruction symptoms has not been fully explored.
- Closing excerpt
- Computed tomography morphology of the deviated nasal septum could not fully explain the severity of nasal obstruction.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (239 words)
IntroductionThe impact of the nasal septum morphology on the severity of obstruction symptoms has not been fully explored.ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate whether the morphology of the deviated nasal septum assessed by computed tomography may explain nasal obstruction severity.MethodsThe study included 386 patients who were referred to the computed tomography examination of the paranasal sinuses. Patient selection criteria were the absence of facial anomalies, facial trauma, nasal surgery, and sinonasal tumors. Computed tomography images were used to estimate deviated nasal septum prevalence, the prevalence of Mladina's seven types of deviated nasal septum, and to measure the deviated nasal septum angle. Nasal obstruction severity was assessed by the nasal obstruction symptom evaluation, NOSE scale. The relationship between NOSE score, deviated nasal septum morphology, and deviated nasal septum angle was performed by a statistical regression model on the reduced sample of 225 patients.ResultsThe prevalence of deviated nasal septum was 92.7%. Type 7 deviated nasal septum was the most frequent (34.2%) followed by type 5 (26.2%) and type 3 (23.6%). The worst NOSE scores were recorded in the type 2 deviated nasal septum (45.00 ± 28.28). The mean deviated nasal septum angle in patients with nasal obstruction was 8.5° ± 3.24. NOSE scores were not significantly associated with deviated nasal septum types and angles.ConclusionPatients with different types of deviated nasal septum have different NOSE scores. Computed tomography morphology of the deviated nasal septum could not fully explain the severity of nasal obstruction.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 33132090 · DOI · PMC9483930
Functional and esthetic outcomes of functional rhinoplasty for internal nasal valve dysfunction in Asian patients [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- ObjectiveThis study aimed to use validated measures to evaluate the functional and esthetic outcomes in patients who underwent functional rhinoplasty for Internal Nasal Valve Dysfunction (INVD) in Korea.
- Closing excerpt
- Level of evidenceLevel 4.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (213 words)
ObjectiveThis study aimed to use validated measures to evaluate the functional and esthetic outcomes in patients who underwent functional rhinoplasty for Internal Nasal Valve Dysfunction (INVD) in Korea.MethodsA retrospective review of consecutive patients who underwent functional rhinoplasty for INVD confirmed by endoscopic findings and the modified Cottle test between 2016 and 2018 was performed. Nasal obstruction was assessed with the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and nasal obstruction symptom evaluation (NOSE) scale. Acoustic rhinometry was performed pre- and post-operatively. The Minimal Cross-Sectional Area (MCA) of the nose was measured. Objective assessment of the esthetic outcomes was performed with the Objective Rhinoplasty Outcome Score (OROS), which assesses tip rotation, projection, width, dorsal height, width, length, symmetry, and the overall result.ResultsFifty-seven patients (46 men and 11 women; mean age, 30.5 ± 12.3 years) who underwent functional rhinoplasty were included in this study. The VAS and NOSE scores indicated functional improvement in all cases (all p 3, and there was no significant difference between the two groups (all p > 0.05).ConclusionsFunctional rhinoplasty, including extracorporeal septoplasty and spreader grafting, may be a viable option for correcting INVD with functional and esthetic improvement. Dynamic INVD is less prevalent among Asians, and there was no significant difference in the surgical outcomes compared with those of static INVD.Level of evidenceLevel 4.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 38603971 · DOI · PMC11015505
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Olfaction and its alteration by nasal obstruction, rhinitis, and rhinosinusitis [5]
- Research article Objective monitoring of nasal patency and nasal physiology in rhinitis [6]
- Research article Nasal, septal, and turbinate anatomy and embryology [7]
- Research article Anatomy and Physiology of Nasal Obstruction [8]
- Research article Does Nasal Surgery Improve OSA in Patients with Nasal Obstruction and OSA? A Meta-analysis [9]
- Research article Septoplasty: Basic and Advanced Techniques [10]
References
- Dąbrowska-Bień J, Skarżyński PH, Gwizdalska I, Łazęcka K, Skarżyński H. Complications in septoplasty based on a large group of 5639 patients. . 2018. PMID 29770875 · DOI · PMC5992230
- Patel B, Virk JS, Randhawa PS, Andrews PJ. The internal nasal valve: a validated grading system and operative guide. . 2018. PMID 30293091 · DOI · PMC6208712
- Janovic N, Janovic A, Milicic B, Djuric M. Relationship between nasal septum morphology and nasal obstruction symptom severity: computed tomography study. . 2022. PMID 33132090 · DOI · PMC9483930
- Jung HJ, Park MW, Shim WS, Wee JH. Functional and esthetic outcomes of functional rhinoplasty for internal nasal valve dysfunction in Asian patients. . 2024. PMID 38603971 · DOI · PMC11015505
- Doty RL, Mishra A. Olfaction and its alteration by nasal obstruction, rhinitis, and rhinosinusitis. Laryngoscope. 2001. PMID 11224769 · DOI · PMC7165948
- Nathan RA, Eccles R, Howarth PH, Steinsvåg SK, Togias A. Objective monitoring of nasal patency and nasal physiology in rhinitis. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2005. PMID 15746882 · DOI · PMC7112320
- Neskey D, Eloy JA, Casiano RR. Nasal, septal, and turbinate anatomy and embryology. Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2009. PMID 19328886 · DOI
- Hsu DW, Suh JD. Anatomy and Physiology of Nasal Obstruction. Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2018. PMID 29941182 · DOI
- Ishii L, Roxbury C, Godoy A, Ishman S, Ishii M. Does Nasal Surgery Improve OSA in Patients with Nasal Obstruction and OSA? A Meta-analysis. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2015. PMID 26183522 · DOI
- Most SP, Rudy SF. Septoplasty: Basic and Advanced Techniques. Facial Plast Surg Clin North Am. 2017. PMID 28340647 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-11-04; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-11-04.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.