Surgery for Deviated Septum Linked to Better Quality of Life

By Kelly Young

Edited by Susan Sadoughi, MD

Surgery is associated with improved quality of life in patients with a deviated septum, according to a randomized trial in the Lancet.

Dutch researchers randomized 200 adults with deviated septum, nasal obstruction, and an indication for septoplasty to receive either septoplasty (with or without concurrent turbinate surgery) or non-surgical management (either watchful waiting or medical treatment, like local corticosteroids).

At 12 months' follow-up, the primary outcome — health-related quality of life score — was significantly higher in the surgery group and appeared to persist for 24 months. Some 18% of surgery patients had postoperative complications, most commonly hemorrhage or infection.

The authors conclude: "This information provides a basis for the development of evidence-based guidelines on the treatment of nasal obstruction in adults with a deviated septum."