Septoplasty in Focus: Clinical Outcomes and Complication Patterns in A Pakistani Cohort

Septal deviation is a common cause of nasal obstruction, and septoplasty is the preferred corrective procedure. Despite its widespread use, septoplasty is associated with several intraoperative and postoperative complications, which remain underreported in the Pakistani population. Objectives: To determine the frequency and nature of complications following septal surgery at a tertiary care setting. Methods: A observational cohort study was conducted at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Civil Hospital Hyderabad and LUMHS Jamshoro from March 2020 to February 2021. A total of 174 patients undergoing septal surgery were enrolled using non-probability consecutive sampling. Data on demographics, presenting complaints, surgical procedures, and postoperative complications were collected using structured questionnaires. All patients were followed monthly for six months postoperatively. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21.0. Results: The mean age of participants was 27.5 ± 5.2 years, with 62.1% being male. The most common intraoperative complication was hemorrhage, observed in 49 patients (28.2%). Postoperative complications included septal hematoma in 18 patients (10.3%), infection in 17 patients (9.8%), and septal perforation in 12 patients (6.9%). A statistically significant association was observed between resection of the deviated septum and both immediate and delayed complications (p=0.035), indicating that this procedure carried a higher risk compared to others. Conclusions: Septoplasty, particularly when involving resection of the deviated septum, was associated with a higher rate of both immediate and delayed complications. These findings highlight the need for careful surgical technique selection and structured postoperative monitoring to minimize morbidity and improve patient outcomes in clinical ENT practice.