Evaluation of nasal symptoms in septoplasty patients using SNOT-22

The aim of our study is to evaluate the nasal symptoms of patients with indications for septoplasty using the SNOT-22 questionnaire and to investigate the effects of variables such as concha surgery, age, obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), smoking and asthma on these symptoms. A total of 100 patients were included in the study. Pre-operative and at postoperative month 3, patients were administered the Sinus Nasal Conduct Test (SNOT-22). Septoplasty operations were performed by two centres and two otolaryngologists and head and neck surgeons. The patients were divided into two groups according to the surgical procedure of the lower concha, concha shaver group and concha out fractures. The difference in total score between preop and postop was significant in both the shaver and outfracture groups with a difference in total score of 17.85 (46%). Improvement in symptoms of nasal obstruction was observed with a mean improvement of 0.81 points (2.79 points). In our study, there was no significant difference in preop and postop symptom scores in patients who had subcuneal shaved submucous resection with outfracture (p = 0.861). There was no significant difference between preop and postop total scores between asthma, smoking, OSA and non-asthmatics (p > 0.05). There was no correlation between scores and age in either group (p > 0.05). Before septoplasty, the most important symptom was nasal obstruction. Intervention at the inferior turbinate during surgery increases the benefits of septoplasty independently of the surgical technique. Factors such as asthma, OSA, smoking are significantly relevant to symptoms. In those with asthma and OSA, the scores were found to be high both before and after intervention.