Nasal Septal Retainer Versus Trans-Septal Suturing in Septoplasty: A Randomized Trial on Operative Time

To compare the operative closure time and early postoperative outcomes between nasal septal retainer and trans-septal suturing techniques in patients undergoing septoplasty.

This single-center, prospective, open-label, randomized controlled trial included patients aged 18 to 65 years with nasal obstruction. Participants were randomized to trans-septal suturing or nasal septal retainer after septoplasty. The primary outcome was operative closure time. Secondary outcomes included symptom burden assessed by visual analog scale (VAS) at 48 hours postoperatively, Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-22 (SNOT-22) scores at baseline, 1 week, and 3 months, and postoperative complications.

A total of 23 patients were randomized (11 to trans-septal suturing and 12 to nasal septal retainer). Baseline characteristics were comparable between groups. The mean closure time was significantly shorter in the septal retainer group than in the trans-septal suturing group (18.1 ± 1.5 seconds vs 763.3 ± 59.9 seconds; P < .001). The nasal septal retainer group reported significantly higher VAS scores for nasal obstruction (3.83 ± 1.34 vs 1.91 ± 1.04), facial pressure (2.33 ± 1.30 vs 0.27 ± 0.65), and dysphagia (2.14 ± 1.98 vs 0.00 ± 0.00) compared to the trans-septal suturing group (all P < .05). No significant differences were observed in SNOT-22 scores or complication rates during follow-up.

The nasal septal retainer significantly reduced operative closure time compared with trans-septal suturing, with comparable safety profiles and similar patient-reported outcomes at 1 week and 3 months postoperatively, suggesting that it may serve as a reasonable and efficient alternative to trans-septal suturing in septoplasty.Clinical Trial Registry identifier:ChiCTR2300073690.