Table 4. Quality of life outcomes of the nasoseptal flap.
| Included studies | LOE | Number of patients | Outcome | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jalessi et al 15 | 2b | 68 NSF vs 38 No-NSF | SNOT-22 (preop vs 12 months) | No significant difference between groups |
| Harvey et al 26 | 2b | 42 NSF vs 76 no-NSF | SNOT-22 (pre- vs postop) NSS (pre- vs postop) |
1.33 ± 0.98 vs 1.23 ± 0.85, (
p
= 0.65)
1.71 ± 1.15 vs 1.48 ± 1.11, ( p = 0.36) |
| Rioja et al 19 | 2b | 17 NSF (EEA) vs 38 no-NSF (TTEA) | SF-36 and RSOM-31 | (preop vs 12 months) no difference for both |
| Hanson et al 27 | 4 | 36 NSF | SNOT-20 preop vs 3 months | 1,38; 95% (CI = 1.26–1.79) vs 1.65 (CI = 1.45–1.89) ( p = 0.10) |
| Thompson et al 28 | 2b | 44 NSF vs 49 mucosal graft | SNOT-22 (nasal symptoms) | NSF was associated with worse nasal symptoms at 3 months ( p = 0.01) |
| McCoul et al 29 | 4 | 37 NSF, 29 no-NSF | ASBQ preop 3 weeks postop 6 weeks postop 12 weeks postop 6 months postop |
3.1 vs 3.2 (
p
= 0.49)
3.0 vs 3.2 ( p = 0.31) 3.3 vs 3.1 ( p = 0.5) 3.4, vs 3.6 ( p = 0.4) 3.4 vs 4.1 ( p = 0.07) |
| Pant et al 17 | 4 | 51 patients (number of NSF not reported) | SNOT-22 | SNOT-22 scores significantly better in no-NSF group |
| Balaker et al 30 | 4 | 69 patients with NSF | SNOT-20 | Scores back to baseline at middle (106 to 190 days) and late interval (202–300 days) except for PND and thick nasal discharge |
Abbreviations: ASBQ, Anterior Skull Base Questionnaire; EEA, endoscopic endonasal approach; LOE, level of evidence; NSF, nasoseptal flap; NSS, Nasal Symptom Score; PND, post nasal drip; preop, preoperatively; postop, postoperatively; RSOM-31, Rhinosinusitis outcome measure-31; SF-36, Short Form-36; SNOT-22, Sino-Nasal Outcome test—22 items; TTEA, transnasal transphenoidal endoscopic approach.