What is Empty Nose Syndrome?

Definition: Empty Nose Syndrome (ENS) is an iatrogenic condition of nasal dysfunction that is a complication of nasal surgery.

Symptoms: Common symptoms of empty nose syndrome are paradoxical nasal congestion, lack of airflow sensation, dryness, crusting, and feeling of suffocation. Patients also often experience cognitive difficulties including inability to concentrate, fatigue, irritability, anxiety, and depression.

Cause: In patients with ENS, the physiology of the nose has been damaged and is no longer able to function normally. This can include structural damage to the nasal cavity and sinuses as well as functional damage to nasal mucosa and nerves. ENS is poorly understood. This is primarily because the physiology of the nose is currently not well understood. Few objective tests exist to test normal nasal function. It is likely that ENS isn't a single entity but an umbrella term for various types of damage resulting from nasal surgery.

Treatment: Current treatments include implants to improve structural deficits and regenerative medicine techniques to improve mucosal function. Currently there is no cure for ENS.

History: Empty nose syndrome was originally named in 1994 by Dr. Eugene Kern at the Mayo Clinic. It got this name because it was first observed in patients whose noses looked 'empty' after having had their turbinates greatly reduced or removed completely. More recently it has become clear that patients without empty looking noses can also have ENS. A better term is Iatrogenic Nasal Dysfunction (IND).