Examination: Nose


  • Wash hands
  • Introduce yourself and ask permission to examine the patient
  • Position the patient sitting down. Sit directly opposite them so you are examining them at eye level

Inspect:
  • External appearance of the nose -from the front, sides, top and bottom
    • Scars
    • Skin changes
    • Asymmetry
  • Use a thudichum speculum to look into the nose, or alternatively if not available use your fingers to hold up the nose and use an auroscope to inspect:
    • The nasal vestibule
    • The septum - are there any polyps? Is there any deviation?
    • The inferior tubinate on the lateral wall - if pale and boggy, think of allergic rhinitis

Examine nasal airflow
  • Using a silver tongue depressor under the nose, look for steaming up of the metal when the patient breathes out of the nose.

Examine sensation
  • Maxillary division of trigeminal nerve

To conclude the examination:
  • Examine the throat
  • Test the patient's sense of smell
  • Consider using flexible nasendoscopy
  • Thank the patient and offer to help them get dressed

Extras:
download in pdf
written by: celine_lakra,
first posted on: 1/03/12, 17:00

comments:

No one has left a comment yet. Be the first - see below.

make a comment:

Please login before posting a comment. If you don't yet have an account on osce-aid.co.uk, you can register for FREE by clicking here.