Comparison of Subjective and Objective Success of Septoplasty in Patients with Nasal Septum Deviation: A Before and After Study

Abstract

Objective: Aim of the study is to evaluate the subjective outcomes and objective outcomes postoperatively and investigate correlations between these measurements. Material and Methods: This prospective before and after surgical study was conducted with patients admitted with symptomatic nasal septum deviation (NSD) and who underwent Cottle’s septoplasty. Morphometric diameters of the nasal cavity were measured using a multi-detector computed tomography. Preoperative and postoperative one-month Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation Scale (NOSE) score, acoustic rhinometry (AR), and anterior active rhinomanometry (AAR) measurements were used to evaluate the success of surgery. The correlations between these measurements were also evaluated. Results: The study population consisted of 30 patients, including 19 males and 11 females, with a median age of 27.5 years. There was a statistically significant difference between pre and postoperative NOSE scores, with a mean difference of 53.17 points (p<0.001). There were statistically significant differences between pre and postoperative AR parameters of both the deviated side (DS) and non-deviated side (NDS) of the nose both before and after decongestion. There were statistically significant improvements in all postoperative airflow and airway resistance parameters of the DS of the nose before decongestion when compared to preoperative measurements. There were moderate to large positive correlations between morphometric diameters and differences in NOSE score. Further, there were several statistically significant correlations between differences in AR and AAR measurements and differences in NOSE score. Conclusion: Our findings showed that the objective measurements are strongly correlated with the NOSE score.