Nasal septum repair
Septoplasty is surgery to correct any problems in the nasal septum, the wall inside the nose that separates the nostrils.
See also: Rhinoplasty
Most patients receive general anesthesia before septoplasty. This will make you unconscious and unable to feel pain. Some have the surgery under local anesthesia, which numbs the area to block pain. You will stay awake if you have local anesthesia. Surgery takes about 1 to 1 ½ hours. Patients usually go home the same day.
Your surgeon will make a cut inside the wall on one side of your nose.
The main reasons for this surgery are:
People who snort large amounts of cocaine or other drugs over long periods of time may need septoplasty. Snorting drugs can damage the septum.
Kridel RWH, Kelly PE, MacGregor AR. The nasal septum. In: Cummings CW, Flint PW, Haughey BH, et al, eds. Otolaryngology: Head & Neck Surgery. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2005:chap 44.