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Abstract

Background: Septal deviation and chronic nasal obstruction are commonly seen and affect most of the population, affecting respiratory function and life quality. The use of intranasal splints sequentially for this condition post-operative is controversial, and septoplasty is a common surgical intervention. Objective: To compare the outcomes of septoplasty with and without postoperative intranasal slastic splints. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial. Duration and Place of Study: The study was conducted from May 2024 to November 2024 at the Department of ENT, SKBZ Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Muzaffarabad. Methodology: Sixty septal deviation patients aged 17–70 years were randomly allocated to two groups (Group A; splints after septoplasty, Group B; no splints). Both pain at the time of pack and splint removal and nasal obstruction at the first and sixth postoperative weeks were assessed using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS, and the NOSE score, respectively). Results: Group A, which received splints, had significantly higher post-operative pain scores (5.35 ± 0.25) and NOSE scores (5.21 ± 0.33) compared to Group B, which did not use splints (pain: 2.79 ± 0.19, NOSE: 2.69 ± 0.19), with both differences being statistically significant (p-value = 0.000). Stratified analysis by age, gender, and treatment type showed consistent significant differences favoring the no-splint group. Conclusion: Postoperative nasal splints significantly increase both pain and nasal obstruction compared to no splints following septoplasty.