Septal suturing following nasal septoplasty, a valid alternative for nasal packing?

Septal suturing following nasal septoplasty, a valid alternative for nasal packing? After septal surgery most surgeons still routinely perform nasal packing since this is generally recommended. The aims of packing are numerous: haemostasis, prevention of haematoma, increase septal flap apposition, closure of dead space and prevention of displacement of the replaced cartilage. However, nasal packing is not an innocuous procedure and may lead to cardiovascular changes, continued bleeding, nasal injury, hypoxia, foreign body reaction or infection. The major disadvantage of nasal packing is patient discomfort--usually necessitating hospital stay--and the need to administer antibiotics. Therefore alternatives were sought. Sessions, Lee and Vukovic conceived and reported in the eighties forms of continuous septal suturing, but are not widely used. A similar technique of septal suturing after nasal septoplasty without nasal packing was used in 226 consecutive surgical procedures and reviewed retrospectively. Complications like postoperative episodes of bleeding, infections, septal haematomas, septal perforations or synechia were not noted. On one patient a recurrence of the septal deviation occurred. Patients reported almost no discomfort. Moreover, the septal surgery procedure could be carried out on a day-surgery basis. Readmission of a patient was never necessary. Based on these observations the septal suturing technique is a valid alternative to intranasal packing following septal surgery.