Nasal Septal Perforation Dimensional Analysis

Objective To describe and illustrate septal perforation shape through the documentation and analysis of length and height measurements. A secondary objective is to correlate perforation size to surgical and nonsurgical etiologies. Stuy Design Retrospective case series. Setting Tertiary academic medical center. Methods Length and height of consecutively treated perforations over a 3‐year period were measured directly or through computed tomography. Mean differences in length and height measurements were compared and regression analysis used to determine perforation shape and the effect of etiology on perforation size. Perforations were classified by length into small (1‐5 mm), medium (6‐15 mm), and large (>15 mm) and correlated to shape and etiology. Results One hundred twenty‐four patients (mean age 50.4 years, 60.5% female) met study inclusion criteria. Height was less than length in 93% of perforations 5 mm or greater in length. Mean perforation height was significantly less than length for medium and large perforations (P