Septal Perforation

Septal perforations can be caused by:

• Incorrectly performed operations on the nose
• Vascular diseases
• Excessive nose picking/rhinotillexomania
• Cocaine use
• An unknown cause (50% are idiopathic)
• Perforations can cause minimal but also significant functional symptoms for the patient

Small perforations can cause a whistling sound when a patient breathes through the nose. Large perforations usually do not cause whistling, but they do cause a feeling of congestion and contribute to nasal crusting. This can be very annoying for the patient. Correction of a septal perforation depends on the size of the perforation.

Small perforations can be corrected with a one-stage (2-hour) operation with a high success rate > 90%.

The diagram opposite shows the inner lining of the nose on both sides of the septum to close the hole and a cartilage graft to repair the hole in the frame.

Call +31 (0) 85 029 0829 for an appointment

Smaller to moderate perforations up to 3 cm can be repaired with flaps on the inside of the nose and cartilage graft from your ear cartilage (see our group publications on septal perforation). Very large perforations larger than 3-4 cm can still be closed/repaired surgically, but this is much more complicated.

There are different ways of tackling saddle nose deformity. However, the majority can be corrected in a one-stage operation. Some more severe forms require more than one stage to reconstruct the part of the nose. We have additional techniques to repair large septal perforations that are not amenable to closure/repair using standard techniques.