I had Septoplasty surgery January 1995. My breathing problems don't seem to be any better. What is the success rate of this surgery?
Reply: -------------------------
You might be surprised to learn that this is not an easy question to answer. Chronic nasal airflow obstruction can be caused by a wide variety of problems including septal deformities, turbinate hypertrophy, deformities or weakness of the cartilage supporting the external anatomy of the nose, nasal polyps, etc. Thus it is not uncommon that nasal airflow obstruction may be caused by more than just an isolated deviation of the septum and therefore might require more than just a septoplasty to correct. The problem is further compounded by the fact there has not been a reliable, readily available, easily administered test for objectively measuring nasal airflow obstruction in the past. Now newer technologies are being studied for just this purpose and will allow us to more carefully assess the subjective complaint of nasal stuffiness beyond simply visually examining the nose.
In any event, it would be fair to state that a septoplasty, in the absence of complications, would have a very high degree of success in correcting nasal airflow obstruction which is primarily or exclusively related to septal deformity with proper technique. If chronic nasal airway obstruction persists long after a septoplasty operation, it is first of all important to make sure that the original deformity has indeed been corrected. Septal deformities can persist despite careful and sound surgical technique in certain cases of extreme deformities such as S-shaped curves of the septum or twisted deformities such as those that can be seen after severe nasal trauma. This is because the septum is largely made up of cartilage which can retain a "memory" for its original shape and can re-assume that shape after a period of time during the healing process. There are a number of specific techniques for septoplasty that have been described to correct this is should it happen and/or prevent it from occurring.
If chronic nasal airflow obstruction persists after septoplasty, and the septal deformity has been corrected, ie the septum is straight, then the problem is likely related to one or more of the other forementioned possible causes of nasal obstruction which would therefore require different treatment measures. For example, it is not uncommon to have a septal deformity and chronically enlarged inferior turbinates. A septoplasty alone may not successfully correct the nasal airflow obstruction caused by this combination. Thus septoplasty is commonly performed with turbinate procedures such as laser-assisted reduction of the turbinates or turbinoplasty.
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Steve Dankle, MD
Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Milwaukee, Wis
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