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The accurate diagnosis of rhinologic disease depends on the clinical history, examination findings and, in many cases, further investigations. There are a wide variety of diagnostic tests available, the choice of which depends upon the condition being assessed. This position paper is intended to provide an up-to-date comprehensive description of the diagnostic tools available to rhinologists, allergists, general otolaryngologists and other physicians with an interest in sinonasal disease. The literature has been reviewed and evidence-based recommendations are included. The relevant history and examination techniques are described, including endoscopic assessment of the nose. General and disease-specific quality of life instruments are an important tool in assessing the impact of rhinologic disease and the response to treatment. Relevant blood tests are discussed, as well as the various methods of allergy testing. Techniques for collecting microbiological and tissue samples are described, as well as the use of more specialised tests such as nasal nitric oxide and those evaluating ciliary structure and function. Imaging techniques and their indications are included. Chemosensory (smell and taste) testing is explained, and the available techniques for objective measurement of nasal airflow and patency are reviewed. Prompt and accurate diagnosis allows appropriate management to be initiated; an understanding of the currently available diagnostic tools is a vital part of the assessment of rhinologic disease.

Background: Angiofibromas in the head and neck region usually arise in the nasopharynx, but may also occur elsewhere. This study aims at evaluating the incidence and clinical features of extranasopharyngeal angiofibroma (ENA). Material and Methods: Systematic review of the literature (Medline +/- and Google T) up to 31 December 2015. Results: 174 cases of ENA were retrieved from a total of 170 publications. In contrast to former publications and previous understanding, the nasal septum was by far the most common site of the disease. Four patients had a congenital lesion, the oldest patient was 87 years old (mean: 28.7 years; median: 23 years). Male gender was predominantly affected, but the sex ratio was more balanced (2.13: 1) than in previous reports in the literature until 12/2015. The majority of patients presented with nasal obstruction, either in combination with epistaxis (25.8%) or other symptoms (12.6%). Symptoms had developed within 13.1 months on average (median: 4 months). Brisk bleeding resulted in 11 of 43 biopsy procedures. Surgical resection as first-line therapy was performed in 170 patients. A tumour regrowth within 12 months was registered in four patients. Conclusion: The increasing awareness of ENA and the willingness to publish case reports-not only in Medline-listed journals-resulted in a significant increase of published case reports lately. Although extremely rare, ENAs have to be taken into account in the differential diagnosis of unclear masses, particularly in adult patients presenting with a rapidly developing nasal obstruction resulting from a nasal septum tumour. Female gender or normal vascularity does not exclude the diagnosis. Transnasal resection is sufficient in most cases, and recurrences are rare. Pathologists as well as clinicians should consider ENA in their differential diagnosis of any mass of the upper airway.

Nasal allergen challenge (NAC) is an important tool to diagnose allergic rhinitis. In daily clinical routine, experimentally, or when measuring therapeutic success clinically, nasal allergen challenge is fundamental. It is further one of the key diagnostic tools when initiating specific allergen immunotherapy. So far, national recommendations offered guidance on its execution; however, international divergence left many questions unanswered. These differences in the literature caused EAACI to initiate a task force to answer unmet needs and find a consensus in executing nasal allergen challenge. On the basis of a systematic review containing nasal allergen challenges of the past years, task force members reviewed evidence, discussed open issues, and studied variations of several subjective and objective assessment parameters to propose a standardized way of a nasal allergen challenge procedure in clinical practice. Besides an update on indications, contraindications, and preparations for the test procedure, main recommendations are a bilaterally challenge with standardized allergens, with a spray device offering 0.1mL per nostril. A systematic catalogue for positivity criteria is given for the variety of established subjective and objective assessment methods as well as a schedule for the challenge procedure. The task force recommends a unified protocol for NAC for daily clinical practice, aiming at eliminating the previous difficulty of comparing NAC results due to unmet needs.

Aim: To investigate the change of tissue dimensions after formalin fixation, and to determine the optimal time of fixation. Hypothesis: Formalin fixation may lead to shrinkage in tissue dimensions and may thus alter tumor stages. Background: It is often observed in tumor surgery that the dimensions in vivo seem larger than after resection, and tissue appears to shrink further after formalin fixation. This might alter dimensions and assessment of spread of the tumor and thus lead to a lesser tumor classification and stage. In cases where the decision for adjuvant chemoradiation is based upon the stage, it may thus be of relevance for the patient to evaluate the pathologic and not the in vivo dimensions of the tumor. Material and methods: In order to obtain comparable tissues, we investigated 100 palatal tonsils after cold steel dissection tonsillectomy for chronic tonsillitis. There were four time points investigated: directly after excision in the operating room and after four, 24 and 72 h of fixation in formaldehyde (4% Formaldehyde in phosphate buffer pH 7.4). The tissue was measured in the following dimensions: volume (ml), weight (g) and length, broadness and width (mm). Results: The tissue size did not change significantly in dimensions except for an increase in length. The time of fixation did not influence the size. Discussion: Formalin fixation does not significantly influence the tissue dimensions of palatal tonsils in comparison to direct ex vivo measurements. A minimal time of fixation of 20 h is required in order to stop all degenerative processes; however, longer fixation does not change the dimensions of the specimen. Conclusion: The null hypothesis has to be withdrawn that tissue dimensions are altered by formalin fixation. Thus, the histopathological measurements do not influence TNM staging. 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.