The nasal septum is a thin plate of cartilage and bone that divides the nasal cavity into right and left parts.
The curvature of the nasal septum is a consequence of an anomaly in the development of the facial skeleton or injury. On the curved part of the nasal septum, there are often bony or cartilaginous thickenings in the form of a ridge or spike.
Classification of curvature of the nasal septum
In principle, it is possible to divide the curvature of the nasal septum into post-traumatic and non-traumatic nature. It is obvious that post-traumatic deformities of the nasal septum are more complex in terms of surgery, i.e. operation technique. However, non-traumatic curvature of the nasal septum presents a significant difficulty for the doctor when choosing tactics in the postoperative management of the patient and the entire treatment as a whole. The reason for the difficulty of this disease is that a long-term curvature of the septum leads to a violation of the aerodynamics of breathing through the nose. And this, in turn, leads to the loss of the main functions of the mucous membrane (warming and purification of the inhaled air).
The main symptoms of deviated nasal septum
Symptoms of severe curvature of the nasal septum, which needs surgical correction, can be:
- Difficulty breathing through one or both halves of the nose.
- Formation of crusts in the nasal cavity.
- Frequent nosebleeds.
Treatment of deviated nasal septum
The curvature of the nasal septum does not interfere with breathing in all cases and, therefore, not all people with a deviated septum need to straighten it
With a significant curvature that prevents nasal breathing, a submucosal resection of the nasal septum is indicated. Not often limited to the removal of spines and ridges.