Deviated Septum Surgery (Septoplasty)

Septoplasty is a procedure that can help straighten a deviated nasal septum. It can help improve airflow for those struggling with nasal congestion. Recovery after septoplasty is now much better than it used to be in the past. Most patients having septoplasty do not need nasal packing or nasal splints after surgery.

What is septoplasty?

Septoplasty is a surgical procedure to treat a deviated nasal septum. The septum is the wall in the middle of the nose. It separates the right side of the nose from the left side.

No one has a “perfectly straight” septum. There are natural little curves and bends in the septum almost everyone has. For most people, these little curves don’t cause any real nasal problems. The nose usually functions just fine even if the septum is not perfectly straight.

A deviated septum refers to a septum that is crooked. This means that it is bent, curved, or pushed to one side. A deviated nasal septum can make the inside of the nose narrow. A deviated septum can make it hard to breathe properly through the nose. Sometimes, just one side of the nose feels congested. In many cases, though, both sides are congested.

A septoplasty procedure helps to correct narrowing caused by a deviated septum. An ENT doctor will work through the inside of the nostrils to perform surgery. Most patients have surgery under anesthesia at a surgery center or hospital.

How is septoplasty performed?

To perform the surgery, the doctor looks inside the nose using a light or using a little camera. Then, the doctor can see the deviated parts of the septum. The septum is made of cartilage and bone. There is a mucous membrane on the surface of the cartilage and bone. This membrane is similar in some ways to the skin we have on the outside of the body.

The surgeon makes an incision inside the nostril and lifts the membrane from the cartilage and bone. The surgeon can then look at the crooked portions of the cartilage and bone. Different types of surgical tools are then used to carve and sculpt the misshapen cartilage and bone. After the carving and reshaping is complete, the mucosa is laid back into its natural position. Some dissolvable stitches are then placed at the edge of the septum. In our practice, Dr. Goyal does not have to place nasal packing or splints after correcting a deviated septum.

What is the recovery like after septoplasty?

After septoplasty, most patients have a lot of stuffiness and nasal drainage. After surgery inside the nose, the areas will have some swelling as they heal. This is what leads to stuffiness. The stuffiness is usually most severe in the first 4-5 days. The congestion usually starts to improve slowly after the first week.

The drainage is usually a combination of mucus, some blood, and some clots. Since Dr. Goyal does not use nasal packing, the nose will tend to drain a bit more. The drainage can be a bit annoying, but this is typically still much easier than having packing in place. After surgery, we will ask that you use a sinus rinse to clean some of the drainage from your nose. As the swelling comes down and as the body heals, the drainage becomes better. The first week is usually when the drainage is most significant.

Most patients have septoplasty under anesthesia, so they do feel fatigued from the anesthesia after surgery.