Septoplasty- Does It Change the Quality of Life in Patients Having Nasal Obstruction?

Introduction: Deviated nasal septum (DNS) is one of the most common causes of nasal obstruction. However, there are several other etiologies which cause difficulty in nasal breathing. The definitive treatment of symptomatic DNS is septoplasty. The efficacy of septoplasty remains controversial as there are no solid tools for clinical evaluation of patients for establishment of reliable statistical data. Our aim was to evaluate patients who have undergone septoplasty for symptomatic DNS, by following them up with the NOSE questionnaire for predicting the surgical efficacy of septoplasty. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective observational study, conducted over 1 year. 50 cases of either sex of 18-65 years, having symptomatic DNS not relieved by medical management, and corrected by isolated septoplasty were included. The primary outcome was measured by the NOSE questionnaire, applied before surgery, and 6th week and 12th week after the procedure from which the 12th week nasal score was taken into consideration. Results: The paired T test done among the variables showed a clear significance, proving the efficacy of the NOSE score in predicting the symptom reducing efficiency of septoplasty Conclusion: The NOSE score can be used as a regular quality scoring system in analysing the outcomes of septoplasty.