I. What is the nasal septum?
The nasal cavity is a house, and the nasal septum is a wall in the middle of the house, dividing the house into two rooms on the left and right.
What is nasal septum deviation?
It is a structural change caused by some factors, which makes the wall in the middle of the nose appear crooked. In fact, the septum is rarely completely straight, and 60-70% of the population often have different degrees of deviation, which do not require any treatment if there is no functional disorder.
Third, what are the forms of nasal septal deviation?
This wall can be deviated to the left, or to the right, or partially. Take a look at the pattern diagram below for details.
IV. What are the symptoms of deviated nasal septum?
1.Nasal congestion
It is the most common symptom. It can be nasal congestion on one side of the deviation, or bilateral nasal congestion.
2.Rhinorrhea
For example, the mucous membrane at the tip of the deviated septum is thin and easy to dry, so it is relatively easy to bleed.
3.Increased nasal secretion
It is mainly sticky nasal discharge, which is caused by the increase of secretion from the enlarged inferior turbinate on one side.
4.Headache
In fact, there are not many headaches, and such pain can be relieved by the contraction of nasal mucosa (spraying medicine). On the contrary, if the nose is ventilated by spraying medicine and the pain is not relieved, it is necessary to look for the cause of headache again.
5.Dizziness
More rarely, this condition is more often caused by anxiety and tension.
V. Deviated nasal septum, under what circumstances do I need surgery?
As mentioned earlier, deviation is the majority of the population and in most cases is asymptomatic and does not require surgery. Surgery can be considered in the following cases.
1. Causes persistent nasal congestion.
2. If sinus ventilation and drainage are obstructed (most of these cases require sinus surgery).
3.Patients with reflex headache (these patients need to be cautious, the cause of headache is not so well determined, personal advice: surgery is the last step when other conditions are excluded by internal medicine).
4.Patients with recurrent nasal bleeding (surgery is only effective if the bleeding point is located in the same area of the deviation after repeated examination).
5.Deviated septum with crooked nose (nose shape is crooked and belongs to the scope of plastic surgery).
Six, how does the septum surgery operate?
The middle of the septum is cartilage and bone, both sides are mucous membrane (meat), the middle bone or cartilage is the bracket, the bracket is crooked the wall will be crooked. The surgery is to remove the skewed part of the bone and keep as much normal bone as possible, after the bone is fixed, the mucosa on both sides will be straightened.
What are the problems of nasal septum surgery?
1. Nasal congestion is not completely relieved. The curved septum is trimmed and the inferior turbinates (one or both sides) often need to be treated at the same time.
2. Nasal septum perforation. It is very rare, meaning that a small window appears in the wall of the nasal septum. At this time the window is easy to crust near, and there may be a whistling sound when breathing sharply.
3. Dryness of the nasal cavity. After the surgery, the nasal cavity will be scarred, especially the inferior turbinate is treated. Rarely, the nasal cavity will be dry, which is usually relieved by using some oil. Very rarely, atrophy will occur. As for the “empty nose syndrome”, the unscrupulous media over-represent it, it is very rare clinically and more of a psychological factor.
4. Nasal adhesions. It means that the places that should not stick together or grow together stick together or grow together. Mainly due to post-operative nose swelling, medication change is not timely caused. As long as the regular, timely change of medication, there are still very few of them.
VIII. Is septum surgery minimally invasive?
At present, most of the surgeries are operated under nasal endoscope, and the surgical wound and treatment are inside the nasal cavity, which is actually the interior decoration of the house, and the appearance is not visible.
9. Is the surgery very painful?
At present, the surgery can be done under general anesthesia, and the patient is in a very deep sleep during the surgery and will not feel the pain, and when he wakes up, the surgery is done. The post-operative pain can be relieved by medication.