Outcomes after nasal septoplasty: Results from the Nasal Obstruction Septoplasty Effectiveness (NOSE) study

Our goal was to assess disease-specific quality of life outcomes after nasal septoplasty in adults with nasal obstruction. We conducted a prospective observational outcomes multicenter study with 14 sites and 16 investigators, including private practice and academic settings. Patients had had septal deviation and symptomatic nasal obstruction for at least 3 months, and medical management had failed. Patients with septal deviation completed a validated outcomes instrument (the Nasal Obstruction Septoplasty Effectiveness [NOSE] scale) before and 3 and 6 months after septoplasty, with or without partial turbinectomy. Fifty-nine patients underwent surgery; there was a significant improvement in mean NOSE score at 3 months after septoplasty (67.5 versus 23.1, P < 0.0001), and this improvement was unchanged at 6 months. Patient satisfaction was very high, and patients used significantly fewer nasal medications. In patients with septal deformity, nasal septoplasty results in significant improvement in disease-specific quality of life, high patient satisfaction, and decreased medication use.