Is septoplasty effective on habitual snoring in patients with nasal obstruction?

We aimed to find out whether snoring relieve with nasal surgery in patients with nasal obstruction. Sixty-four patients who underwent septoplasty under general anesthesia with complaint of nasal obstruction and snoring at Haydarpasa Numune Education and Research Hospital were enrolled in the study. All patients were evaluated by otolaryngological examination. Septal deviation was graded as mild, moderate and severe with endoscopy. Variables examined included age, sex, body mass index. All patients also completed the questionnaires, including Nose Obstruction Symptom Evaluation scale (NOSE), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and Snore Symptom Inventory (SSI) before and after septoplasty. NOSE scale, ESS, and SSI scores showed statistically significant improvement after nasal surgery (p < 0.01) but we could not find any statistically significant association between septal deviation grading and improvement in scores of NOSE scale, ESS, and SSI (p > 0.05). Added to this, the association between body mass index (BMI) and improvement in scores of NOSE scale, ESS, and SSI did not reach statistical significance (p > 0.05). Our results demonstrated that septoplasty is effective on the subjective parameters of nasal obstruction in habitual snorers irrespective of the nasal septal deviation and severity of BMI.