The correlation of computed tomography in the evaluation of septoplasty patients

Septoplasty is one of the frequently applied nasal surgical procedures. There is still no gold standart objective method to evaluate the patients whom suffers from nasal blockage. To evaluate the septoplasty candidate with a Paranasal Computerised Tomography (PNCT) is one of the most discussed topic in the otorhinolaryngology surgical philosophy.

In this study, we aim to interpret the value of nasal valve areas measured by PNCT for both septoplasty candidates and the control population. We believe that this information could be useful for the evaluation of patients before undergoing a septoplasty procedure.

600 coronal and axial tomography sections performed between May 2014 and February 2018 at the University Of Gaziantep Radiology Dept. were assessed. These tomography sections were divided into two groups called the septoplasty and the control. The septoplasty group was made up of three hundred paranasal sinus tomography images scanned before patients' septoplasty operations. The control group was created by screening 300 maxillofacial tomography's which were taken due to the suspicion of trauma at the University Of Gaziantep Emergency Clinic between May 2014 and January 2018.

There were 192 (64%) patients with left nasal septal deviation and 108 (36%) patients with right nasal septal deviation. The Independent Sample T-Test revealed that the mean internal nasal valve angle in the left septoplasty group was significantly lower than that of the control group (P < 0.005). A comparison of the right side nasal values revealed a significant statistical change according to the Independent Sample T-Test between the value of the right septoplasty and the control groups (P < 0.005).

The sectional areas of nasal tomography images may show different values. However, it is still difficult to say that the clinical application of tomography images could be used as one of the indication criteria for the septoplasty procedure.