The Science Behind Balloon Septoplasty: How It Corrects Deviated Septums

If you have a deviated septum, it can make it difficult to breathe through your nose. It can also prevent proper sinus drainage and lead to chronic sinus infections.

The nasal septum, a slender bone and cartilage wall that divides your nostrils, can be straightened surgically through septoplasty. The procedure straightens the septum by trimming, relocating, and occasionally replacing cartilage or bone.

How Does Balloon Septoplasty Work?

One of the most frequent causes of sinusitis is a deviated septum. It happens when the bone and cartilage nasal septum becomes misaligned and obstructs someone’s sinuses.

Surgical procedures, such as functional endoscopic sinus surgery (fess), can fix this condition by cutting and removing tissue and bone to create a straight and healthy septum. However, there may be better options for everyone with a deviated septum.

Fortunately, a newer approach to correcting a deviated septum is available in the form of Balloon Septoplasty. This procedure is safe and effective when performed by an ear, nose, and throat doctor.

How Can Balloon Septoplasty Help?

Your nostrils are divided by a bit of bone and cartilage wall called the nasal septum. While it is typically in the center, some persons experience askewness or deviation.

A deviated septum can obstruct your nasal passages, making breathing difficult. It can also prevent proper sinus drainage, leading to chronic sinus infections.

In addition to a deviated septum, other common causes of nasal obstruction are allergies, sinus infections, inferior turbinate hypertrophy (swelling of the tissue on either side of the nose), and polyps.

Depending on the cause of your nasal obstruction, we may recommend a balloon septoplasty for deviated septum. This procedure corrects a deviated septum by repairing it to get it back into a midline position, improving airflow, and reducing symptoms like nasal obstruction, recurrent sinus infections, and snoring. It is an office-based procedure that does not require cutting or tearing nasal skin, bruising, or incisions.

What Are the Benefits of Balloon Septoplasty?

Breathing can be challenging when the sinuses are congested. This may make getting a decent night’s sleep difficult and increase the risk of health issues like diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure.

Thankfully, some treatments can help. One of these is balloon sinuplasty, a minimally invasive office procedure that corrects deviated septums without going to an operating room.

It’s performed by your ear, nose, and throat doctor. They will place a thin, flexible instrument with a balloon in your sinuses.

The doctor gently inflates the balloon to widen and restructure your sinus passages, relieving your symptoms.

After the procedure, you will be prescribed to keep your sinuses hydrated and lubricated during recovery. Your doctor will also recommend taking antibiotics to discourage any infection from occurring.

What Are the Symptoms of a Deviated Septum?

If you have a deviated septum, your nose can feel stuffed and blocked or difficult to breathe. It may also lead to chronic sinusitis, recurring headaches or earaches, and other unpleasant symptoms.

A deviated septum is an abnormality of the cartilage and bone divider between your nasal passages. Sometimes it results from natural growth, but it can also occur due to an injury to your nose.

It can be difficult to tell whether you have a deviated septum so a doctor will check it with an exam. Your provider will use an instrument to open your nostrils and a bright light to look inside your nose.

A mild deviation may cause no symptoms, while an extreme variation can block one side of the nose, causing nasal congestion. It can make you prone to inflammation of your sinuses (sinusitis), and it can dry out the skin in your nasal septum, making you prone to frequent nosebleeds.