Postoperative Intranasal Adhesions and Morbidity Following Septoplasty with and Without Splints; A Comparative Study

Abstract

Background:One of the principal nasal operations often carried out by ENT specialist if septoplasty. A variety of materials have been tested as nasal splint; however, the efficacy of all is still questionable. The current study was aiming at evaluating the efficacy and safety of using intranasal splints in overcoming formation of adhesion.

Aim of the study:is to evaluate the possible role of intranasal splint in reducing the rate of intranasal adhesions and to figure out possible complications associated with their use in patients undergoing septoplasty.

Patients and methods:This is a prospective comparative study of 80 adult patients underwent septoplasty by the same surgical team, in Ad-Diwaniyah teaching Hospital, from October 2018 to August 2019. Patients were selected randomly and divided into two equal groups, each group included 40 patients. In one group, nasal splint was used and in the second group no nasal splint was used. Pain, sleep disturbance and dysphagia during the first 7 post-operative days were evaluated based on visual analogue scale. Other outcomes such as crustation, perforation and adhesions were searched for during the fourth week post-operatively.

Results:Regarding pain and sleep disturbances, there was significant difference between the two included groups (p< 0.05) in that suffering was more linked to group with intranasal splint. However, there was no significant variation with respect to crustation and adhesion (p> 0.05) between both study groups.

Conclusion:the use of intranasal splint should be tailored based on certain selection criteria since it is associated with more patient suffering and negligible protection against adhesions and crustation if used routinely.