Association between Symptomatic Deviated Nasal Septum and Sinusitis: A Prospective Study

Objectives: Sinusitis is one of the most common diseases of the nose and sinuses; it affects 1 in 7 adults. Nasal septum deviation is a common disorder that presents in up to 62% of the population, and its role in the pathogenesis of chronic sinusitis remains uncertain. This study was done to find the association between the presence of symptomatic septal deviation and rhinosinusitis. Methods: Totally 200 patients with chronic rhinosinusitis- persistent nasal symptoms (nasal congestion, discharge, postnasal drip, hyposmia or facial pain) of greater than twelve weeks duration that are refractory to medical treatment were analyzed over a period of 18 months between Oct 2013 to May 2015 in a tertiary care institute. All patients underwent otorhinolaryngology examination, digital radiograph of paranasal sinuses, and rigid nasal endoscopy under local anesthesia. In required patients CT scan of nose and paranasal sinuses was done. Patients who were above 15 years of age and below 60 years with symptoms of sinusitis with septal deviation, who agreed to participate in the study were selected to evaluate for the association & severity of sinusitis. Results: In our study 112 were males, 88 were females. C-shaped deviated nasal septum was commonest type found in our study (70.5%). The most common type of sinusitis was bilateral maxillary sinusitis (49%). Pansinusitis was seen in 5.5% of patients and it was seen only in patients with S-shaped deviated nasal septum.