Deviated Nasal Septum

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Definition & Anatomy - Septal Skew Show

  • Deviated Nasal Septum (DNS): Displacement of the nasal septum from the nasal cavity's centreline.
  • Anatomy:
    • Cartilaginous: Quadrangular cartilage.
    • Bony: Perpendicular plate of ethmoid, vomer, maxillary crest, palatine crest.
  • Blood Supply:
    • Kiesselbach's plexus (anterior epistaxis site).
    • Sphenopalatine artery, Anterior & Posterior Ethmoidal arteries.
  • Nerve Supply:
    • Anterior Ethmoidal nerve (branch of V1).
    • Nasopalatine nerve (branch of V2). Anatomy of the Nasal Septum

⭐ The nasal septum is roughly 1/3 cartilaginous (anterior) and 2/3 bony (posterior).

Etiology & Types - Why It Bends

  • Etiology (Causes):
    • Trauma: Leading cause.
      • Birth injury: Molding during passage, forceps.
      • Later life: Accidental, sports, altercations.
    • Developmental Errors:
      • Unequal growth rates between septum and surrounding structures (skull base, palate).
      • Associated with high arched palate.
  • Common Types/Patterns:
    • Anterior (caudal) dislocation: Septum slips off maxillary crest.
    • C-shaped deformity: Simple curve.
    • S-shaped deformity: More complex, often bilateral obstruction.
    • Septal spur: Shelf-like projection (bone/cartilage).
    • Thickening: Due to overriding of dislocated fragments.

⭐ Most common cause of DNS is trauma.

Types of Deviated Nasal Septum

Clinical Features & Complications - The Blocked Truth

  • Symptoms:
    • Nasal obstruction: Unilateral/bilateral; paradoxical (wider side blocked due to turbinate hypertrophy).
    • Headache: Contact point, Sluder's neuralgia.
    • Epistaxis: Stretched mucosa over spur.
    • Anosmia/hyposmia.
    • Snoring, mouth breathing, dry throat.
  • Signs:
    • External nasal deformity (occasional).
    • Deviated septum on anterior rhinoscopy.
    • Compensatory inferior turbinate hypertrophy.
  • Complications (Untreated DNS):
    • Recurrent sinusitis.
    • Mucocele.
    • Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).
    • Middle ear infections (via Eustachian tube dysfunction).

⭐ Paradoxical nasal obstruction: The wider nasal cavity (contralateral to septal deviation) can feel more blocked due to reactive inferior turbinate hypertrophy caused by altered airflow dynamics and chronic irritation. This is a common exam question!

Diagnosis - Spotting the Swerve

  • History Taking: Focus on nasal obstruction, headache, epistaxis, anosmia.
  • Clinical Examination:
    • Anterior Rhinoscopy: After decongestion (if needed), assess septal deviation. Deviated Nasal Septum: Spur and Caudal Deviation
    • Nasal Endoscopy: Visualizes posterior deviations, spurs, contact points.

      ⭐ Nasal endoscopy is the gold standard for assessing posterior deviations and spurs.

    • Cottle's Test: Assesses nasal valve area contribution to obstruction.
    • Probing: Determines consistency of spur (bony/cartilaginous).
  • Investigations (Indications-based):
    • CT Scan (Nose & PNS): Suspected sinusitis, planned FESS, osseocartilaginous issues, pre-revision.
    • Acoustic Rhinometry/Rhinomanometry: Objective airflow assessment (not routine).

Management - Fixing the Bend

  • Medical (Symptomatic Relief):
    • Decongestants (short-term), antihistamines, topical nasal steroids.
  • Surgical Management:
    • Indications: Symptomatic obstruction, recurrent sinusitis/epistaxis due to DNS, OSA, surgical access (FESS, hypophysectomy).
    • Procedures:
      • Septoplasty: Preferred; reconstructs, preserves cartilage. Age >17 yrs.
      • SMR (Submucous Resection): Removes deflected cartilage/bone. Age >17 yrs.
    • Incisions: Killian's, Hemitransfixion/Freer's.
    • Complications: Septal hematoma, abscess, perforation, saddle nose, columellar retraction, persistent deviation, anosmia, CSF leak (rare), toxic shock syndrome.

      ⭐ Persistent deviation and septal hematoma are common complications of septal surgery.

Septoplasty vs SMR surgical techniques for DNS

High‑Yield Points - ⚡ Biggest Takeaways

  • Nasal obstruction is the hallmark symptom, often worse on one side.
  • Cottle's test is positive, indicating internal nasal valve compromise.
  • Compensatory inferior turbinate hypertrophy frequently occurs on the contralateral side.
  • Septoplasty is the preferred surgical treatment for symptomatic DNS.
  • Anterior (caudal) dislocations can cause severe external deformity and obstruction.
  • Complications include septal hematoma, abscess, and saddle nose deformity or perforation.
  • DNS can predispose to recurrent sinusitis and epistaxis.

Practice Questions: Deviated Nasal Septum

Test your understanding with these related questions

Kiesselbach's area does not involve _______.

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Flashcards: Deviated Nasal Septum

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What is the most common presenting feature of septal hematoma?_____

TAP TO REVEAL ANSWER

What is the most common presenting feature of septal hematoma?_____

Bilateral nasal obstruction

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