Effects of Silicone Nasal Septal Splints and a Polyvinyl Alcohol Sponge After Septoplasty on Postoperative Pain and Pain During Pack Removal

Objective: To compare silicone nasal septal splints with integral airway and a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) sponge after septoplasty in terms of patient comfort (both with the pack in place and during removal) and postoperative complications. Methods: This study involved 169 patients who underwent septoplasty without additional nasal procedures due to nasal septal deviation. They were allocated into two groups. Group A comprised 90 patients who underwent septoplasty and who were packed with silicone nasal septal splints. Group B comprised 76 patients who underwent septoplasty and who were packed with a PVA sponge. They were removed on the second postoperative day. Patients were asked to record pain levels using a visual analog scale (VAS). Results: The patients in the groups had similar mean ages: 29.77 years (range, 19-74 years) and 23.77 years (range, 21-37 years) in Group A and Group B, respectively (p>0.05). VAS scores were significantly lower in Group A than in Group B at the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 8th, 12th, 24th, 48th, and 72nd postoperative hours (p<0.0001). There were significantly higher pain levels associated with PVA sponge pack removal than with silicone nasal septum splint removal (average pain scores: 3.57 vs. 1.99, respectively; p<0.05). Conclusion: Intranasal septal splints with integral airway result in less postoperative pain during removal without increasing postoperative complications; thus, they can be used as an effective alternative to PVA sponge packing after septoplasty.