Role of endoscopy in rhinogenic contact headache not responding to medical treatment

Objective To assess the role of various anatomical variation of the nose in the pathogenesis of contact point rhinogenic headache of noninfective or organic cause and to evaluate the role of endoscopic surgery with removal or correction of the anatomical variation that caused headache in the management. Patients and methods This study included 30 patients with refractory or resistant headache for more than 1 year and diagnosed to have sinonasal anatomical variations. They were presented to the outpatient clinics of Al-Zahraa University Hospital in the period from May 2015 to May 2018. There ages ranged from 18 to 34 years. A total of 20 (66.7%) patients were males and 10 (33.3%) were females. Data from this group were analyzed retrospectively. Results Multiple anatomical variations were noted by endoscopy and computed tomographic scans in 30 patients. These variations included septum deviation in 30 (100%) patients followed by hypertrophied inferior turbinate in 15 (50%) patients then concha bullosa in 14 (46.7%) patients. In these 30 patients, 25 (83.3%) cases showed complete cure, three (10%) cases showed improvement, whereas two (6.7%) cases were unsatisfied. Conclusion Minor intranasal anatomical variations or hidden infection may be the cause of primary headache misdiagnosed as a headache of unknown etiology. The functional endoscopic sinus surgery had succeeded in eliminating or significantly reducing headache attacks.