The main indications for rhinoscopy are a history of unilateral nasal discharge, excessive sneezing, etc. This procedure requires light general anesthesia.
A small endoscope is passed up the nose into the nasal cavity to look for problems such as inflammation, infection, tumors, ulceration, bleeding, or foreign material such as plant debris. If foreign material is found, it can sometimes be removed using a tiny attachment on the endoscope.
The endoscope is also used to collect biopsies from the nasal cavity.