Correlation of Asymmetric Facial Growth with Deviated Nasal Septum

Objectives/hypothesis: To evaluate the correlation between growth differences of the face and nasal septal deviation, and to evaluate whether developmental differences of the face have an effect on nontraumatic nasal septal deviation (DNS).

Study Design: Retrospective study.

Methods: Twenty-five patients with DNS who underwent facial aesthetic surgery and had an ostiomeatal unit-computed tomography (OMU-CT) scan and photos for facial analysis were included in the study. Coronal views of the OMU-CT scan where the nasal septum was most severely deviated were selected and from which five parameters (angle of septal deviation [ASD], angle of nasal floor [ANF], angle of lateral nasal wall [ALW], angle of inferior turbinate [AIT], and width of IT [WIT]) were measured. Preoperative frontal views of the patients were analyzed by comparing the distances between the following points on both sides of the faces: midsagittal plane to Zygion (MSP-Zy), Glabella to Exocanthion (G-Ex), Exocanthion to Cheilion (Ex-Ch), and Zygion to Cheilion (Zy-Ch).

Results: The differences between the right and left MSP-Zy, G-Ex, and Ch-Zy distance were significantly associated with the direction of septal deviation. The difference between the right and left AIT and WIT were also significantly associated with the direction of septal deviation. Using bivariate correlation, it was found that the absolute difference between the right and left MSP-Zy, G-Ex, and WIT showed significant correlation with the amount of septal deviation.

Conclusions: We demonstrate that there is a strong relationship between deviated nasal septum and facial growth asymmetry.