Treatment and Causes of Deviated Septum
By: SudbyTotal Views: 142, Word Count: 733,
Here, we are taking a look at the treatment and causes of nasal septum disorder. Nasal septum disorder can be caused due to displacement of a nasal septum. Nasal septum is nothing, but the bone and cartilage that separates the nasal cavity into two nostrils. This cartilage is called quadrangular cartilage. The bones covering the septum consist of maxillary crest, vomer and the perpendicular plate of the Ethmoid. Ethmoid is the bone in the skull that separates nasal cavity.
Generally, the septum lies centrally, making the nasal passages symmetrical. A deviated septum is a condition where the top of cartilaginous ridge leads to the left or right, blocking the nasal passage. The septum is called to be deviated only if the shift of cartilaginous ridge is badly affecting the patient. There are many possibilities of deviation in septum. Many people don’t recognize the existence of nasal septum until it hurts. Deviated septum can be undetected for several years without pain, so it is difficult to detect at the early stages.
Causes
There are some reasons due to which this situation can occur. Let us look at those situations.
- In some cases, septum deviation occurs at the development stage of the fetal and appears during the birth of a baby.
- A fatal nasal injury also leads to deviated septum. During childbirth, such injury can happen. In adults, nose injury from accidents can cause deviated septum.
- Generic connective tissue disorders can cause this situation
- This can cause the following disorders:
- Blockage of nasal passage will lead to drainage of sinuses. Patients can also face breathing problems.
- Frequent headaches are common among the people suffered from this disorder
- Some patients can have sleeping disorders or sleep apnea. In sleep apnea, patients have abnormal pauses in breathing or breathing at a very low speed.
Treatment
If your nasal passage is blocked severely, then you need to check with the ENT specialist. There is a small operation for its treatment which is called septoplasty. There are some medical instruments or devices used to reduce nasal obstruction, but they are not fully efficient and the problem continues to occur within a few days of treatment. So surgery is the best way to prevent this disorder. This is a small operation which takes one hour. The patient must undergo local or general anesthesia.
In the surgery, ENT surgeon reshapes the cartilage and bone in the nose to straighten septum. This surgery won’t change the outer structure or the appearance of the nose. Septoplasty is the most common surgery in US and widely used for head and neck procedure. You just need to choose a surgeon who has ample amount of experience in this field. Though it is the most common surgery, it involves certain amount of risk too. There are some chances of complications during the surgery. One example is a septal perforation where a hole in the septum between the right and left side of nose creates a sound of whistle when the patient breathes. After surgery, chances of bleeding are higher if it’s not done delicately. This can cause a severe pain in nose and throughout the face of the patient. If the perforation doesn’t improve over a certain period, it can worsen the problem. Also, a patient needs to undergo another surgery to repair the damage caused by the previous one.
There are two techniques of performing this surgery:
- Minimally Invasive Powered Septoplasty: This is the most widely performed surgery. The reason behind this is that it provides improved visualization of the surgery to the surgeon. It also focuses on the precise tissue removal. This is a safe and secure surgery where the risk factor is least.
- Submucous Septal Resection: This is a traditional therapy which involves a lot of cutting. The main goal of this surgery is to straighten the deviated bone and cartilage from the nose. The amount of risk is higher as the method is complicated.
Treatment and causes of deviated septum includes all the methods. With the help of advanced surgery techniques, it is easier now to get a treatment for deviated septum
About the Author
Robert Sudby has practiced as a General Physician in Cleveland for a number of years. He is retired but still likes to share fitness secrets and tips with people. You can benefit from his articles on fitness and general well being
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