Clinical application of suction-tube-assisted septal submucosal dissection for endoscopic septoplasty

Endoscopic septoplasty has become the favored approach for the treatment of a deviated septum. Careful septal dissection results in less bleeding, clear endoscopic view, shortened operative time, and fewer postoperative complications. We describe our 5-year experience of using an 8 French Frazier suction tube for submucosal dissection compared with the traditional septoplasty. A total of 434 patients who underwent septoplasty were recruited. The patients in the study were divided into two Groups 1 and 2 based on the employed surgical techniques to treat deviated nasal septum: traditional septoplasty (Group 1: 105 patients) and suction-tube-assisted endoscopic septoplasty (Group 2: 329 patients). All the patients were followed up for a minimum of 6 months. No statistically significant differences could be traced between the groups in any demographic factor, regarding the gender, age, and the intraoperative and postoperative complications. A significantly shorter operative time was found in Group 2 (P < 0.001). The overall incidence of minor complications was 6.6% in Group 1 and 4.6% in Group 2. The suction-tube-assisted dissection technique is found to be a surgical alternative, effective with a significantly shorter operating time, and economical option in septal surgery.