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Pediatric Otolaryngology

(444) Short-Term Complications Following Septoplasty in Pediatric Patients

Monday, October 2, 2023
2:45 PM – 3:45 PM East Coast USA Time
Has Audio

    Presenting Author(s)

  • Taylor Stack, BS

    Medical Student
    University of North Carolina Department of Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery
    Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States

    • Co-Author(s)

  • AZ

    Abdullah Zeatoun, MD

    Postdoctoral Fellow researcher
    Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery
    Chapel hill, North Carolina, United States

  • Adam J. Kimple, MD/PhD

    Associate Professor
    UNC School of Medicine
    Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States

  • Brent A. Senior, MD

    Harold C. Pillsbury, III Distinguished Professor
    Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery
    Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States

    • Senior Author(s)

  • Austin S. Rose, MD, MBA, FARS

    Professor & Vice Chair, Finance
    University of North Carolina
    CHAPEL HILL, NC, United States

Disclosure(s):
Taylor Stack, BS: No relevant relationships to disclose.
Adam J. Kimple, MD/PhD: No relevant relationships to disclose.
Brent A. Senior, MD: No relevant relationships to disclose.
Austin S. Rose, MD, MBA, FARS: No relevant relationships to disclose.


Introduction: Nasal septoplasty in the pediatric population is controversial and there is limited data describing associated complications. These reports commonly focus on long-term complications such as septal perforation, facial growth and deformity. The objective of this study is to describe short-term septoplasty complications and complaints among pediatric patients.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed for all septoplasty patients during a five-year period at a tertiary academic medical center between 2017 and 2022. All included patients were less than 18 years of age at the time of surgery. Age, surgery type, co-morbidities, and complications were recorded. Surgery-type groups were compared using Fisher’s exact test.

Results: Sixty-four patients were included, with a mean age of 13.59 (SD = 3.77). There were a total of 30 complaints voiced by 26 patients, with the most common being bleeding. Of the 12 patients with postoperative bleeding, one required bedside cautery. Ten patients complained of more than one symptom. On average, symptoms were reported 10.43 days after surgery. Patients were grouped by surgery type: septoplasty (n=32) or sinus surgery with septoplasty (n=32). Overall post-operative complaints were not statistically different between groups (p=0.35). Further analysis revealed a greater rate of bleeding complications in the septoplasty-only group compared to sinus surgery and septoplasty (21.9% vs 3.03%, p=0.036). No occurrences of septal hematoma or septal perforation were noted among the study group.

Conclusions: There are limited prior reports of short-term complications following septoplasty in pediatric patients. This study found that most short-term complaints were mild and included headache, nausea, bleeding, congestion, fever, and hemoptysis. Of these, bleeding and nasal congestion were most commonly reported. To our knowledge, this is one of the largest studies to date, to characterize the complications of nasal septoplasty in children.