Things that tell that you have Nasal Septum Deviation
The nasal septum is a bone and cartilage that form the divides the left and the right nostril.
Normally, the nasal septum lies in the center of the nasal cavity. However, it may get deviated to one side of the nose in some cases, which is known as Deviated Nasal Septum.
The nasal septum deviation, in its severe form, can block one side of the nose due to reduced airflow. This causes difficulty in breathing. Moreover, it may lead to drying of the nasal mucous and more chances of infection due to overexposure of air of the other side.
What causes the Nasal Septum Deviation?
Congenital – In most of the cases, the nasal septum deviation is genetic. It develops in utero, while the fetus is still within the womb. The cases were related to challenges that were faced during the birth or in babies with larger birth weight.
Trauma or Injury – Any injury during the birth may cause a deviation in cases of infants. Otherwise, it may be caused by an accident, fall or while playing sports.
There are some factors that might aggravate the symptoms of a deviated nasal septum such as swelling in the nasal tissues due to an infection or inflammation such as rhinitis or rhino sinusitis. Moreover, the natural process also leads to changes in the bone structures of the nose, which might create worsening of the problem.
Symptoms that indicate the nasal septum deviation
- Nasal obstruction – The first and most noticeable sign is the blockage of the nasal passage. This causes difficulty in breathing. The blockage is often on one side of the nose. This becomes more prominent when one has a cold, allergy or respiratory infection.
- Nose bleeding- Increased exposure of the mucous membrane to air causes dryness and more chances of bleeding.
- Noisy breathing during sleep – Again due to obstruction of the nasal passages, noises can be heard during sleeping due to difficulty breathing.
- Frequent sinus infections
- Nasal congestion
- Facial pain
- Sleep apnea
- Headache
- Post-nasal drip
Complications such as dry mouth due to excessive mouth breathing increased pressure in the nasal passages and disturbed sleep may also occur if not treated on time.
How is it treated?
The condition is left untreated unless it is causing trouble to the patient. The first priority of the surgeon is to treat it non-surgically with some medications that help in reducing the swelling of the nasal tissues and treat conditions like cold, allergy or infection if any.
If the symptoms continue to persist, surgery is a choice. The nasal septum deviation surgery is known as Septoplasty. It involves correction of nasal septum by making a small incision.
Procedure
- Before the procedure, the doctor will ask you to stop taking blood thinning medications such as aspirin or Advil if you are on it. This is done to reduce the excessive bleeding that might take place during the surgery,
- You will also be told not to eat or drink anything a night before surgery. This will prevent any vomiting or choking while you are on anesthesia.
- The surgery is done under general anesthesia in most of the cases. However, the surgeon may also prefer to do it with local anesthesia.
- The procedure may take 30 to 90 minutes to complete. An incision is made on one side of the nose and nasal mucous is lifted up. Then, the nasal septum is moved to its original position.
- This is followed by suturing and dressing of the nose.
The success rate of the surgery is very high. Most of the surgeries done by the Best ENT Surgeons in India are successful, do not reverse back and heal fast.
Recovery after the surgery
- In order to recover faster, the patient must reduce the physical activity such as exercise, running, weight lifting etc for some weeks after the surgery. These activities may increase the nasal pressure leading to a heavy nose bleed.
- Elevate the head while sleeping to prevent swelling
- Do not blow the nose for 3-4 days after the surgery.
- Wear clothes that have zippers or buttons in the front, so that they don’t have to be pulled up over the head.
Cost of septoplasty in India
Some of the Best ENT Hospitals in India have the best infrastructure and modern devices to perform this time of surgery at reasonable costs. The average cost of the nasal septum deviation surgery in India lies around USD 2000.
