How nasal septum deviation is diagnosed?
Although a deviated septum isn’t a serious condition, but it compromises the patient daily activity, and prevents him from deep sleep, leading to restless sleep and lack of energy and concentration the following day.
All of this makes diagnosis of deviated septum important to start treatment and improve patient’s quality of life.
History
The history of the patient usually gives important clues about his condition like:
- Recent trauma to the face or the nose
- Recent serious accident
- Recurrent sinusitis
- Breathing problems that do not responds to the usual medical treatments
- Sleep apnea and snoring
Physical examination of the nose
The nose should be examined thoroughly to give a clear picture about the condition of the septum. If it has a perforation or other abnormality, and to measure the deviation level. Also, to inspect all the internal structure of the nose. The examination is usually done using the conventional examination tools or by using more specific and accurate tools as fiber-optic nasal endoscopy.
Images
In the normal circumstances, there is no benefit in using imaging while diagnosing deviated septum. In severe trauma like in car accidents, the patient may undergo a CT scan to figure out the extent of the damage exactly.
