Nasal septum suture combined with inferior turbinate coblation after septoplasty: Does it improve quality of life and reduce complications?

OBJECTIVE: Nasal packing is routinely applied after septoplasty. Patients, however, report feeling very uncomfortable while the packing is in place. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of nasal septum suture combined with inferior turbinate coblation to the effects of nasal packing after septoplasty. METHODS: In this study, 135 patients undergoing septoplasty were divided into 3 groups: group 1 patients had microdebrider with packing, group 2 received coblation with packing and group 3 had coblation with suture. Early postoperative quality of life and complications were compared between the 3 groups. RESULTS: The patients in group 1 experienced the most postoperative nasal pain, headache, dysphagia, sleep disturbance and bleeding on the night of surgery; while the patients in group 3 experienced the fewest symptoms. No difference in epiphora was observed between the 3 groups. More pain and bleeding were experienced when comparing the pack removal (Group 1 and 2) with the clearance of the nasal cavity (Group 3). We noted one case of postoperative bleeding in group 1, one septal hematoma in group 1 and a second septal hematoma in group 2. No such postoperative complications were found in group 3. CONCLUSION: Nasal septum suture combined with inferior turbinate coblation was not only associated with less pain, increased patient satisfaction and an improved quality of life; but also reduced postoperative complications. Our results confirm that it is a more comfortable, reliable alternative to the more common nasal packing.