Surgical Outcomes of Bony Batten Grafting to Correct Caudal Septal Deviation in Septoplasty

Correction of caudal septal deviation with a batten graft has been popularized recently. However, few reports have documented the surgical outcomes of this technique, especially the use of bony batten grafts in septoplasty.

To evaluate the surgical outcomes of bony batten grafting for the management of caudal septal deviation in endonasal septoplasty.

This retrospective cohort study evaluates the medical records of 141 patients with caudal septal deviation who underwent septoplasty using bony batten grafts from September 1, 2011, through February 29, 2016, at a tertiary referral hospital. Patients were divided into primary and secondary surgery groups. Patients were also divided into the septoplasty plus turbinate surgery and the septoplasty only group. Endoscopic assessment of deviation correction was performed, and postoperative complications were analyzed.

Patient satisfaction and symptom improvement were evaluated via telephone interviews by using the Nasal Obstruction Symptoms Evaluation (NOSE) scores.

Of the 141 patients (24 women [17%] and 117 men [83%]; mean [SD] age, 32.8 [12.9] years), 86 (61%) rated their symptoms in the postoperative survey as much improved; 50 (35.5%), improved; 4 (2.8%), no change; and 1 (0.7%), worse. All patients had significantly improved mean (SD) postoperative NOSE scores (28.7 [22.0]; 95% CI, 25.0-32.4) compared with preoperative scores (70.5 [26.7]; 95% CI, 66.0-75.0; P < .001). No significant intergroup differences were observed in surgical outcome between the 116 patients undergoing primary surgery (mean [SD] NOSE score, 28.2 [21.9]) and 25 undergoing secondary surgery (mean [SD] NOSE score, 30.8 [24.3]; P = .34). No significant difference in surgical outcome was found between the 102 patients in the turbinate surgery group (mean [SD] NOSE score, 28.1 [20.8]) and 39 in the septoplasty only group (mean [SD] NOSE score, 30.4 [23.7]; P = .65). On endoscopic examination for surgical outcome, 128 patients (90.8%) had a straight septum and 13 (9.2%) had improved but residual caudal deviation. Postoperative complications included septal hematoma in 4 patients, hyposmia in 2, and chondritis in 1; all patients were treated successfully. Four patients required revision surgery because of incomplete functional correction or a desire for rhinoplasty.

Septoplasty using bony batten grafts is useful for correcting caudal septal deviation with favorable surgical outcomes and an acceptable complication rate.

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