Comparison of Transseptal Suture and Anterior Nasal Packing after Septoplasty in Terms of Postoperative Crusting

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare transseptal suture and anterior nasal packing after septoplasty in terms of frequency of postoperative crusting. Design: It’s a randomized controlled trial. Study Settings: Research was conducted at Department of ENT and Head & Neck Surgery Abbas Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir for a period of six months from 26/5/2020 to 25/11/2020. Patients and Methods: This study involved 132 patients of both the genders undergoing septoplasty for deviated nasal septum. These patients were randomly divided into two groups. Patients in Group-A were treated with transseptal suturing of mucoperichondrial flaps while patients in Group-B were treated with anterior nasal packing. A written informed consent was obtained from every patient. Results: The mean age of patients was 28.44±6.16 years in the range of 18 years to 40 years. The study group had 53 (40.2%) female and 79 (59.8%) male with a female to male ratio of 1:1.5. In terms of gender distribution and mean age both the groups were comparable (p-value=0.859 and 0.978 respectively). In patients treated with transseptal suturing, the frequency of post-operative nasal crusting was significantly lower (4.5% vs. 27.3%; p=0.000) as compared to anterior nasal packing. This difference was observed across all age and gender groups. Conclusion: This study has reported transseptal suturing to be better than anterior nasal packing in terms of significantly lower frequency of post-operative nasal crusting regardless of patient’s age and gender in patients undergoing septoplasty for deviated nasal septum. The results of this study thus advocate the use of transseptal suturing in future practice. Keywords: Deviated Nasal Septum, Septoplasty, Transseptal Suturing, Anterior Nasal Packing, Post-Operative Nasal Crusting