Complications of submucous resections of the nasal septum

We studied retrospectively 263 patients, who had previously undergone submucous resection of their nasal septa. Unsatisfactory septal corrections, perforations, and dorsal saddling were looked for and could be correlated with the skills of the ten surgeons who performed the procedures. Three of the surgeons were attending physicians, while the other seven were resident trainees at different stages of their specialty education. From the total number of the patients, 17 (6.4%) were noted to have persistent septal perforations, 10 (3.8%) had residual deviations of their nasal septa, and 1 (0.4%) had a saddle nose deformity. These findings differed significantly among the different surgeons. The incidence varied from 0% to 30.4% in septal perforations, from 0% to 10.4% in unsatisfactory corrections of the septum, and from 0% to 2.6% in saddle nose. Our findings show that a well-executed submucous resection of the nasal septum by a skilled surgeon yields a low incidence of complications, while in unskilled hands, it may carry a high incidence of complications.