Improvement in health-related quality of life greater for septoplasty versus nonsurgical management
FRIDAY, June 21, 2019 (HealthDay News) — For adults with a deviated septum, septoplasty is more effective than nonsurgical management for nasal obstruction, according to a study published online June 18 in The Lancet.
Machteld M.H.T. van Egmond, M.D., from Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, Netherlands, and colleagues conducted a randomized trial in 16 secondary and two tertiary referral hospitals in the Netherlands. A total of 203 adults with nasal obstruction, a deviated septum, and an indication to undergo septoplasty were randomly assigned to receive septoplasty with or without concurrent turbinate surgery (102 patients) or nonsurgical management (101 patients). Patients were stratified by sex, age, and deviation severity. The primary outcome was health-related quality of life, measured with the Glasgow Health Status Inventory.
The researchers found that the mean score on the Glasgow Health Status Inventory was 72.2 and 63.9 for patients assigned to septoplasty and nonsurgical management, respectively (mean difference, 8.3 favoring septoplasty) at 12 months. Septal abscess and septal perforation occurred in one and two patients, respectively. There were no reports of side effects from nasal medication.
“Septoplasty offered considerable subjective and objective benefits compared with nonsurgical management, which were sustained up to 24 months of follow-up,” the authors write. “This information provides a basis for the development of evidence-based guidelines on the treatment of nasal obstruction in adults with a deviated septum.”
Several authors disclosed receipt of a grant from ZonMw.
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