Since Quelmalz first published his article on nasal septal deviation in 1750, septal deviation surgery has roughly gone through four periods: subtotal nasal septal resection, typical submucosal resection (including modified submucosal resection), septal correction, and septoplasty. In terms of illumination equipment, nasal septal surgery in the first 2 periods can be done under the frontoscope according to the traditional procedure, but due to the limitation of illumination range, the traditional procedure often can only better deal with the anterior and inferior deviation of the nasal septum, and the high and posterior deviation is quite difficult to deal with. If one wants to perform septal correction or shaping, it is not only difficult to operate, but also difficult to handle in place.
Therefore, no matter how experienced the surgeon is, he or she is always limited to a minimal technical stage due to the objective conditions. Since the creation of nasal endoscopic surgical techniques in the 1980s, nasal endoscopic septal surgery has been rapidly and widely developed with its many advantages such as superior cold light source illumination system, clear vision, and flexible operation. As with most rhinological surgeries (e.g., nasal polyps, sinusitis, nasal neoplasia), endoscopic septal surgery, is rapidly replacing the traditional frontoscopic surgical operation. At the same time, the use of nasal endoscopic surgical instruments is quietly changing. The management of posterior and high deviations of the nasal septum has been significantly improved due to the improvement of nasal endoscopic surgical instruments and illumination. The degree of injury of the entire surgical operation has been significantly reduced and the results of septoplasty are much better.
What is more worth mentioning is that nasal endoscopy can not only complete septoplasty, but also deal with sinus lesions, adenoidal hypertrophy, inferior turbinate hypertrophy, middle turbinate hypertrophy and developmental abnormalities at the same time, and the operation under direct vision can greatly reduce various surgical complications.
In conclusion, the minimally invasive nasal endoscopic surgery of septoplasty will completely replace the traditional frontoscopic septoplasty in the near future, which is also the gospel brought to patients with nasal diseases by the development of modern technology.