Association of Deviated Nasal Septum as an Etiological Factor for Antrochoanal Polyp

The etiology of Antrochoanal polyp (ACP) has been a subject of controversy. A deviated nasal septum may contribute to ACP formation by forcing a maxillary cyst through the accessory ostium. This study aims to evaluate the role of DNS in the formation of ACP.

This retrospective case-control study included 40 diagnosed ACP cases (Group A) and 40 asymptomatic controls (Group B). The imaging scans of 80 patients were retrieved from the database and reviewed to correlate septal deviation with ACP using three septal deviation classifications- Mladina classification, classification based on the location of most prominent point of septal deviation and Baumann classification.

In Group A, septal deviation was present in 92.5% of patients, with 55% showing left-sided ACP with left DNS and 37.5% right-sided ACP with right DNS. In the control group, septal deviation was present in 90% of patients. On comparing septal deviation and ACP using Mladina classification (p value = 0.098) and Baumann classification (p value=0.805), no statistical significance was observed. A statistically significant difference (p value <0.001) was observed between the cases and control groups based on the classification of the location of most prominent point of septal deviation.

In the present study, we were unable to establish a definitive causality between deviated nasal septum and the occurrence of an Antrochoanal polyp. However, deviation of the nasal septum between the anterior and posterior ends of the middle turbinate may act as a contributory factor in the formation of ACP.