Nasal Septum Surgery / Septoplasty

Next to tonsillectomy, the most commonly performed ENT surgery is septoplasty. We perform this to correct a deformed or bent nasal septum, or to correct deregulated airflow caused by a deviated septum. It is also one of the conceivably less popular procedures. This is not so much due to fear of the surgery itself, rather, due to insertion of the dreaded nasal pack (tamponade) and its respective removal.

Our treatment approach factors in this issue, offering the possibility of a completely tamponade-free surgery. The underlying reason for use of nasal packing has always been due to the tendency for nasal bleeding from the operated turbinate. By using coblation, we can largely eliminate this danger. Thereby, we can forego the need for nasal packing. Coblation even enables us to perform this procedure on an outpatient basis, although we do recommend a short hospitalization of 2-3 days.

We perform septoplasty, with the patient under general anesthesia. The procedure takes approximately 45 minutes. The surgeon displays the thin piece of cartilage and bone, called the nasal septum, through a small incision made inside the mucous membrane of the nose. Therefore, the incision is not visible afterwards. We straighten the septum by removing tiny amounts of cartilage and bone using small chisels. We then smooth and re-use the fragments. Afterwards, we suture the open mucosal sections together. Two small pieces of plastic, called splints, stabilize the newly constructed nasal septum. We remove these after three days. It is also possible to perform a cosmetic correction of the nose (aesthetic rhinoplasty) in conjunction with the septoplasty procedure.

Septoplasty with Coblation