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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
A deviated septum occurs when the thin wall (nasal septum) inside your nose is displaced to one side. Your septum separates your right and left nasal cavities and ideally is situated in the center of your nose, equally separating the two sides. In about 80 percent of people, however, the nasal septum is displaced, making one nasal passage smaller.
When a deviated septum is severe, it can block one side of your nose and reduce airflow. Resulting signs and symptoms can include difficulty breathing, nasal congestion, nosebleeds and frequent sinus infections.
A deviated septum may be present at birth or, more commonly, the result of an injury. Treatment of nasal obstruction may include medications to manage symptoms. But to correct a deviated septum, surgery is necessary.
- Chandra RK, et al. Diagnosis of nasal airway obstruction. The Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America. 2009;42:207.
- Fact sheet: Deviated septum. American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery. http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/deviatedSeptum.cfm. Accessed April 25, 2009.
- Fettman N, et al. Surgical management of the deviated septum: Techniques in septoplasty. The Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America. 2009;42:241.
- Nose surgery. American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery. http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/noseSurgery.cfm. Accessed April 26, 2009.
- Ferguson BJ. Septoplasty and turbinate reduction. American Rhinologic Society. http://www.american-rhinologic.org/patientinfo.septoplasty.phtml. Accessed April 25, 2009.
- Higuera S, et al. Nasal trauma and the deviated nose. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. 2007;120(suppl 2):64
- Nasal congestion and rhinorrhea. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec08/ch089/ch089c.html. Accessed April 26, 2009.
- Septal deviation and perforation. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec08/ch091/ch091f.html. Accessed April 26, 2009.
