Correlation between nasal septal deviation and headache
Ela Araz Server1, Çiğdem Kalaycık Ertugay1, Uzdan Uz2, Özgür Yiğit1
1İstanbul Eğitim Araştırma Hastanesi, Kulak Burun Boğaz Kliniği, İstanbul Türkiye
2Bayındır Devlet Hastanesi,kulak Burun Boğaz Kliniği, Ankara, Türkiye
Keywords: Contact point, headache, nasal septal deviation, septoplasty.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the relationship between nasal septal deviation with a contact point and headache.
METHODS: A total of 100 patients (22 females, 78 males; mean age 27.9±11.2 years; range 18 to 58 years), who underwent septoplasty under general anesthesia between July 2015 and July 2016, were included in the study. Patients were divided into two groups according to the presence of contact points between the lateral nasal wall structures and septal mucosa. All patients were asked about the presence of headache. They were requested to quantify the average intensity of headache by using a visual analog scale preoperatively and one year after surgery.
RESULTS: Sixty-nine of the patients (56 patients had a complaint of headache) had contact points between the lateral nasal wall structures and the septum mucosa in the nasal septal deviation region, while 31 patients (nine patients had a complaint of headache) did not have any contact points. There was a statistically significant correlation between the presence of mucosal contact points and complaint of headache (p<0.001). Moreover, the intensity of headache was significantly reduced in patients with nasal septal mucosal contact points one year after the surgery (p<0.001).
CONCLUSION: Our results show that septoplasty could reduce the intensity of headache in patients who had mucosal contact points.