You’re waiting at the doctor’s office, patiently, while he goes over your results… then he says, “You need to consider a Septoplasty; it’s basically done to improve the air flow between the nasal passages or sinus drainage.”
Anatomy. Nasal septum consists of a bone and hyaline cartilage in the nose which separates the nasal cavity into two holes known as the nostrils. It has a quadrilateral shaped cartilage and five bones which form the septum area namely
- perpendicular plate of ethmoid bone
- crest of maxillary bone
- crest of palatal bone
- cartilages
- vomer bone
The basic cause of deviated nasal septum is either genetic or due to some injury or trauma.
Symptoms of Deviated Nasal Septum. The primary symptom of any patient having deviated nasal septum is stuffy nose or nasal congestion along with difficulty in breathing through the nose. Recurrent sinus infections, bleeding from the nose, and sleep deprivation due to breathing problems which is followed by frequent headaches.
Treatment of deviated nasal septum. Generally a septoplasty is indicated when all the resorts to cure or prevent it fails. Initially, antihistamines are given coupled with nasal decongestants or sprays. If sleeping or snoring starts due to deviation, a nose bone operation is advised.
Preparations before the surgery. The doctor would advise to stop some medicines like blood thinners, aspirin, ibuprofen to reduce the risks of bleeding after the procedure, which can further complicate the treatment and healing. It is also suggested that patients who are allergic to local anesthesia should be given general anesthesia to alleviate the pain. Always have a family member along with you during the process. Avoid drinking or eating anything after midnight if you have a surgery the following day as it could cause nausea and vomiting.
Procedure. The nasal septum surgery takes around thirty to ninety minutes under general or local anesthesia as preferred by the doctor. An incision is made on one side of the nose, flap is elevated and the mucous membrane covering the septum is lifted and moved to the appropriate side. The extra pieces of bone or any other barrier is removed and the membrane is restructured. Nose is packed with gauze pieces to keep it in position.
Risks of the surgery. The risks associated with the surgery are generally rare and in most cases patients see a high rate of success, but some of them are
- Bleeding
- Scarring
- An altered shape of the nose
- A discoloration of the nose
- A decreased sense of smell
Recovery. The patient is allowed to go on the same day unless any complication arises. The doctor advises not to use any medications containing blood thinners to avoid the risk of bleeding.
Cost of surgery. The nasal septum surgery cost depends upon the type of hospital, the surgeons and its infrastructure. There are a lot of healthcare professionals who perform these surgeries at all the famous hospitals like Escorts, Apollo group of hospitals, Nanavati, Max Hospital.
Another organization is PSTakeCare which comprises of skilled doctors, drug manufacturers and some important members which help to book surgical packages online and provide treatment to those patients who are at immediate need. It has branches in all the metros of India and also offers treatments for International patients.
Photo by Zulmaury Saavedra
Mia Guerra
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