Surgery is an effective measure to treat deviated septum, but not all patients with deviated septum need surgery.
Surgery should be performed in one of the following cases: 1. long-term persistent nasal congestion caused by deviated septum; 2. recurrent sinusitis caused by high septal deviation affecting sinus drainage; 3. recurrent nasal bleeding caused by deviated septum; 4. reflex headache caused by deviated septum; 5. vasomotor rhinitis (structural rhinitis) with obvious deviation of septum.
However, there are contraindications to surgery in some cases, which need to be considered carefully: 1. acute intranasal infection; 2. untreated chronic sinusitis; 3. certain systemic diseases such as diabetes, tuberculosis, severe hypertension, cardiac insufficiency, blood disorders, etc.; 4. female patients in menstruation; 5. those under 18 years of age; specific surgical pathways are mostly used intranasal incisions. The surgical method can be operated under the anterior nasal mirror or under the nasal endoscope. The nasal endoscopic view is clear, and the operation is less traumatic and more thorough in correction.
Endoscopic correction of nasal septal deviation is a common surgery in ENT, but there are certain surgical risks, which are related to the severity of the patient’s condition, general condition, surgical instruments and surgeon’s technique; specific risks can be manifested as nasal septal perforation, nasal septal hematoma, nasal septal abscess and less common nasal collapse and skull base complications.
Clear surgical objectives, adequate preoperative evaluation, clear surgical pathways, and close postoperative follow-up are all effective measures to prevent complications.