Abstract
Background: Nasal septal deviation is a frequent cause of chronic nasal obstruction and may contribute to sleep fragmentation, snoring, reduced sleep quality, and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Although septoplasty is primarily performed to improve nasal airflow, its broader effect on sleep-related outcomes remains clinically relevant.
Objective: This study evaluated the effect of septoplasty on nasal obstruction, daytime sleepiness, sleep quality, apnea-hypopnea index, snoring severity, and subjective sleep comfort in a cohort of male patients with septal deviation and sleep-related complaints.
Methods: This retrospective clinical outcome study included 62 male patients who underwent septoplasty for symptomatic septal deviation. Preoperative and postoperative NOSE score, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, AHI, snoring visual analog scale (VAS), and sleep comfort score were analyzed. Paired t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used for within-patient comparisons.
Results: The mean age was 37.4 ± 9.5 years, and the mean BMI was 28.8 ± 3.3 kg/m². Septoplasty was associated with significant improvement in NOSE score (71.44 ± 9.71 to 34.60 ± 11.95), ESS (13.87 ± 2.75 to 8.39 ± 4.14), PSQI (11.73 ± 2.64 to 6.71 ± 2.88), AHI (16.78 ± 6.48 to 12.51 ± 6.56), snoring VAS (8.02 ± 1.49 to 3.82 ± 2.06), and sleep comfort score (3.60 ± 1.11 to 8.03 ± 1.55). All paired comparisons were statistically significant (P < 0.001).
Conclusion: Septoplasty was associated with substantial improvement in nasal obstruction and clinically meaningful gains in sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, snoring, sleep comfort, and AHI. These findings support the role of septoplasty as an important component of individualized sleep-related care in carefully selected patients with nasal obstruction and mild-to-moderate OSAS.