Deviated Septum Correction Procedures

Anytime a person's septum, or partition between the nostrils, is not straight, it is considered a deviated septum. Deviated septums can obstruct airflow in the nose. A person can be born with this condition or it may result from an injury. While there are medications that can help with a deviated septum, the only way to correct it is through surgery.

Medication

• If you are struggling with symptoms that result from a deviated septum, such as being able to breathe through one nostril or snoring at night, you can take medication as a temporary fix. Over-the-counter decongestants, antihistamines and nasal cortisone sprays can provide relief for difficult breathing symptoms.

Surgery

• In order to fix a deviated septum for good, you'll need to undergo a septoplasty, which is the medical term for surgery that corrects defects or abnormalities of the septum. Unlike a rhinoplasty, septoplasties are done entirely through the nostril. During the operation, a surgeon straightens the septum and may sometimes need to cut or remove parts of the septum in order to put it in a proper position.

  Septoplasties may be performed in your surgeon's office facility, in a specialized surgery center or in a hospital. Depending on your particular case, you may have the surgery done with a local or a general anesthetic. The operation usually takes about two hours and is done on an outpatient basis.

Surgery Results

• After your surgery, you may need nasal packs or soft splints inside your nostrils to hold your newly shaped septum in place. For the first few days, a small amount of bleeding is normal. According to the University of Virginia Health System, surgeons don't recommend you return to work or other normal activities until about a week after your operation.

  Once you fully recover from surgery, mild and serious symptoms of a deviated septum, like nosebleeds and chronic sinus infections, may disappear completely.