Open AccessDo Nasal Muscles Really Work during Nasal Breathing?
Author(s) -
Bettega Silvio,
Bettega Marcelo
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
otolaryngology–head and neck surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.232
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1097-6817
pISSN - 0194-5998
DOI - 10.1177/0194599811416318a248
Subject(s) - medicine , breathing , nasal septum , anesthesia , electromyography , surgery , nose , physical medicine and rehabilitation
Objective Determine the role of nasal muscle function in healthy patients and patients with nasal septum deviation who underwent surgical treatment. Method Forty‐five patients were divided into 2 groups: Group A (n = 16), with no septum deviation and no nasal obstruction; Group B (n = 29), with both. Electromyographic (EMG) activities of nasal muscles were evaluated. Group A was the control, and Group B underwent surgery. Patients were evaluated before and after surgery. Results No abnormal finding was found in any of the nasal muscles of the control group. There was less EMG activity during normal breathing compared with forced breathing in both groups. In group B, there was a decrease in EMG activity 30 days after surgery (33.17% on normal breathing and 49.04% on forced breathing) as well as 90 days after surgery (27.21% on normal breathing and 36.14% on forced breathing). Conclusion The decrease in electromyographic activities of nasal muscles after removal of an obstructive factor as septum deviation, correlates with the hypothesis that nasal muscles are important during nasal breathing.