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Abstract
Objectives: Patients consulting for nasal septum deviation are partly referred for surgical treatment. Objective of this review is to examine what effects can be predicted from the surgical treatment of nasal septum deviation.
Methods: Critical review of papers found by literature search (period 1966-1995) in Medline and references from selected papers.
Results: All 17 selected studies had their methodological weaknesses. About two out of three patients reported to be satisfied with the results of surgery. Only a few studies measured the outcomes objectively; most used symptoms that have a low specificity for nasal septum deviation.
Conclusions: The clinical relevance of surgical treatment of nasal septum deviation remains doubtful. A high-quality randomised clinical trial is needed to objectively measure the effects of septum surgery. Until then, general practitioners should be cautious regarding referral for this condition.