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Health care information for sinusitis sufferers |
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Health care information for sinusitis sufferers |
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| Home What is Sinusitis? Sinusitis Quiz Symptoms Causes Treatment Options Find A Doctor Patient Stories Sinus Anatomy FAQ Glossary Editorial Contributors Tell Us Your Story ObstructedNose.com |
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Treatment OptionsSurgical Treatment OptionsAdenoidectomy | Endoscopic Sinus Surgery | Ethmoidectomy |Extended Endscopic Frontal Sinus Surgery | Frontal Sinusotomy | FESS (Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery) | Maxillary Sinusotomy | Open Frontal Sinus Surgery | Polypectomy | Reduction Removal of Inferior Turbinate | Reduction Removal of Middle Turbinate | Septoplasty | Sphenoidotomy | Tumor Removal Septoplasty The nasal septum is made of cartilage and bone covered with a lining (mucosa). It divides the nose into two separate chambers, left and right. Normally, the septum is relatively straight, with right and left nasal cavities of similar size. Occasionally, however, the nasal septum may be severely bent, or deviated – enough to encroach upon a nasal cavity. A deviated nasal septum may develop as the nose matures or could result from an injury to the nose. Common complications are breathing interference and a predisposition to sinus infections. A deviated nasal septum that interferes with proper function of the nose is corrected by septoplasty. The surgery can take place under general or local anesthesia. Using a headlight or an endoscope, the surgeon makes an incision inside the nose, lifts up the lining of the septum, and removes and straightens the deviated portions of the septal bone and cartilage. In the early period following the surgery, there is usually some tenderness and swelling inside the nose. Over time, because the nasal cartilage has some "memory," there can be a tendency for the septum to reshape itself back toward its deviated position. Other complications from the surgery are very rare, but can include bleeding, change in shape of the nose, some numbness of the front teeth, or impairment and even loss of the sense of smell. Email This Article To A Friend Printer Friendly Version Find an ENT Professional Near You
THIS SITE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY, CALL YOUR DOCTOR OR 911 IMMEDIATELY. All articles and graphics copyright ©2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 Medtronic, Inc. All rights reserved. Version 2.0 This web page was first published on April 30, 2002, and was last updated on June 14, 2006. |
