Complications in septoplasty based on a large group of 5639 patients.

PURPOSE: Septoplasty is a common surgical procedure used for correction of the nasal obstruction caused by a deviated septum. The aim of the study was to identify complications in septoplasty and analyze incidence depending on the surgical technique, based on the material from 2009 till 2017.

METHODS: The material consisted of 5639 medical records from patients aged 16-69, operated in the tertiary referral center. Patients were divided into two groups (2784 exclusively with septoplasty and 2855 with combined septoplasty and turbinoplasty). Z test for the equality of two proportions was made to investigate the assumption that the proportions from two populations are equal, based on two samples, one from each population.

RESULTS: Complications were listed according to international standards. Among the whole study group, different types of complications were noted in 193 patients (3.42%). The most frequent complication was excessive bleeding. Significant differences were observed between the two investigated groups. In patients with combined septoplasty and turbinoplasty septal hematoma, hyposmia, prolonged healing due to infection, adhesions and temporary reduced visual acuity were significantly more often encountered.

CONCLUSIONS: Meticulous attention to detail in identifying the appropriate anatomy and maintaining good visualization is the key to a safe and effective septoplasty, enabling for very low complication rate.