Septoplasty is a type of nose surgery. It straightens the wall of bone and cartilage that divides the space between the two nostrils. That wall is called the septum. When the septum is crooked, it’s known as a deviated septum. A deviated septum can make it harder to breathe through the nose.
During septoplasty, the septum is moved back to the middle of the nose. To do this, the surgeon may need to cut and remove parts of the septum first. Then, these parts might be placed back into the nose in a corrected position.
Once you’ve healed from a septoplasty, you’ll likely find it’s easier to breathe.
A crooked septum is common. But when it’s very crooked, a deviated septum can block one side of the nose and reduce airflow. This makes it hard to breathe through one or both sides of your nose.
Septoplasty straightens the nasal septum. The surgeon does this by trimming, moving and replacing cartilage, bone or both.
Surgery to fix a deviated septum might be right for you if your symptoms affect your quality of life. For example, you might have trouble breathing through your nose or have frequent nosebleeds.