Abstract
BackgroundThe goal of this study is to compare quality of life (Qol) and symptoms in 91 patients with a deviated nasal septum preoperatively and postoperatively with a control group of 93 healthy individuals.MethodsAll patients reported Qol on Sino-Nasal-Outcome-Test-20 (SNOT-20) and symptoms on visual analogue scale (VAS) preoperatively and 6 months after surgery and the results were compared with the controls.ResultsMean SNOT-20 score improved from 1.8(SD0.9) preoperatively to 0.9(SD0.8) postoperatively (p < 0.000) but did not reach the same level as the controls 0.4(SD0.5). Septum surgery leads to a significant symptom improvement for all symptoms investigated (p < 0.000) on VAS. The patients reached the same level as the healthy controls in 6 of 11 symptoms (headache, facial pain, sneezing, trouble with rhinosinusitis, cough and snoring) but the patients group had significantly more trouble with nasal blockage (VAS 29 vs 9), change in sense of smell (VAS 12 vs5), nasal discharge (VAS 22 vs 11), oral breathing (VAS 23 vs 13) and reduced general health (VAS 12 vs 5) also postoperatively (p < 0.01). Sub analyses showed that allergic patients reported a VAS score of 36 (SD30) for nasal blockage and 17 (SD22) for facial pressure postoperatively versus 23(SD22) and 6(SD13) in non-allergic patients (p < 0.03 and p < 0.01). Patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) reported more trouble with snoring on VAS postoperatively than other patients, 42(SD28) versus 20(SD23) (p < 0.002).ConclusionSeptoplasty leads to a highly significant improvement in Qol and symptoms. The patients do not reach the same level of Qol as healthy controls. All symptoms are reported as mild on VAS postoperatively.Allergic patients tend to report more nasal blockage and facial pressure postoperatively than other patients and a focus on medical treatment should be kept also postoperatively. Patients with obstructive sleep apnea report more trouble with snoring postoperatively and alterative treatment options for snoring may be considered in these patients.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12901-016-0031-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
The goal of this study is to compare quality of life (Qol) and symptoms in 91 patients with a deviated nasal septum preoperatively and postoperatively with a control group of 93 healthy individuals
Secondary we evaluate the effect of surgery on QoL and symptoms in the patient group
Symptoms on visual analog scales (VASs) before and 6 months after surgery Regarding symptoms given on visual analogue scale (VAS) we found that septum surgery leads to a significant symptom improvement for all symptoms investigated (Table 3)
Summary
The goal of this study is to compare quality of life (Qol) and symptoms in 91 patients with a deviated nasal septum preoperatively and postoperatively with a control group of 93 healthy individuals. In the adult population chronic diseases such as chronic rhinosinusitis and allergic rhinitis are two of the main causes for nasal congestion. In Europe, chronic rhinosinusitis has a prevalence of 10,9 % [1] and allergic rhinitis a prevalence of 17–29 % [2]. These diseases cause mucosal congestion and lead to nasal obstruction with reduced nasal airflow. Other causes for nasal blockage may be structural, where variations of the cartilaginous and bony structures of the nose can lead to problems with reduced nasal airflow. Nasal septal deviations have a prevalence ranging from 19 to 65 % due to different criteria for defining a deviated septum [3, 4]
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