Surgical Options

• A deviated septum is diagnosed when the wall between the nostrils is not straight, making it difficult for a person to breathe correctly. While a mildly deviated septum may be almost unnoticeable to a person, a more pronounced deviated septum can cause snoring, sleep apnea, chronic sinusitis, nosebleeds and breathing problems. Therefore, some patients may opt to undergo surgery to correct a deviated septum. There are two surgical options: septoplasty and submucous resection of the septum.
  
  A physician determines type of surgical approach to use based on the severity and location of the deviation. Most surgeries are performed on an outpatient basis.
  
  

Septoplasty

• In order to undergo septoplasty, a patient is placed under general or local anesthesia. Via the nostrils, a surgeon makes a small incision in the septum's lining, separating the mucous membrane from the cartilage and bones in the septum. The surgeon then straightens the portions of the septum that are bent or crooked. The membrane is either then re-attached or replaced. A surgeon will then pack the nostrils with splints or packs to allow the surgical site to heal. This approach does not require breaking any nasal bones and therefore does not often cause bruising.
  
  The chief side effects from septoplasty include bleeding, crusting of the nose and potential infection at the wound site.
  
  

Submucous Resection (SMR)

• Submucous resection is utilized in deviated septums that are more pronounced. Similar to a septoplasty, the surgeon accesses the septum via the nostrils. However, the SMR approach is considered more invasive. Any cartilage or bone that is causing the septum to be crooked is resected and removed while maintaining the nasal structures that preserve the integrity of the nose's appearance.
  
  

Additional Surgical Combinations

• Sometimes the complications or malformations associated with a deviated septum extend to the turbinates, which are bony structures opposite of the septum. When the septum pushes to one side, the turbinates may become enlarged on that side as well. In this instance, a physician may have to perform a rhinoplasty to reshape the nose as well as repair the deviated septum.