Read the just-published, well-received article, "Surgical Treatment for Empty Nose Syndrome"

The groundbreaking research article, “Surgical Treatment for Empty Nose Syndrome,” by Dr. Steven Houser, was published in the September 2007 Archives of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. You can read and *download* this article http://archotol.ama-assn.org/ for as long as the Archives of Otolaryngology make it downloadable (it might be just temporary). This article is perhaps the first ever to properly define empty nose syndrome (ENS) and what it truly entails, while also discussing a surgical remedy of an Alloderm implant for this problem. To my knowledge, there have only been two research articles in the past that have dealt specifically with empty nose syndrome: “Empty Nose Syndrome Associated with Middle Turbinate Resection” by Dr. Houser, and “Atrophic Rhinitis: A Review of 242 Cases” by Drs. Eugene Kern and Eric Moore.

A unique concept specific to this article is what Dr. Houser calls ENS-Type, which is when the patient has adequate turbinate tissue but still experiences symptoms of empty nose and responds positively to a cotton test. The cotton test, in short, is saline-moistened cotton that is placed strategically in the nasal cavity which results in the patient reporting an improvement in breathing symptoms and thinner nasal secretions as a result.

I am also excited to report that a mailing circulating among ear, nose and throat doctors cite “Surgical Treatment for Empty Nose Syndrome” as one of the best medical journal articles for the month of September. I certainly hope this article will stimulate interest among other ear, nose and throat specialists to help us ENS patients while also encouraging them to be overall more careful with turbinate surgeries, and ensure their patients do not end up with the serious complication of ENS.

Best of luck, Dr. Houser! We are certainly hoping this article will have its intended impact!