Facial Pain and Intranasal Contact Pressure Zones

Abstract

Patients with facial pain are commonly diagnosed as suffering from sinusitis and many of these patients do not have sinus disease and the pain can be attributed to other causes. Aim: To provide evidence by therapeutic trial whether mucosal contact pressure zones do cause facial pain and headache, Patients and methods: Clinical trial of Twenty four patients were complaining of facial pain or headache of at least moderate severity mucosal contact pressure zone(s) between middle or inferior turbinate and nasal septum and no evidence of sinus infection were included in this study which was carried out at Tikrit teaching hospital and private hospital by senior auther, during two years period from December.2007_december 2009 were visible endoscopically, and no evidence of sinus infection. All patients underwent initial treatment with topical nasal steroids for at least 6 weeks. Patients who failed to respond, or who only had partial response to topical nasal steroids, were offered surgery designed to eliminate the mucosal contact pressure zone. Surgery consisted of either septoplasty, subtotal resection of the turbinate, or both septoplasty and turbinate reduction. Patients followed up for between 6 months to one year