Do you hear a raspy and noisy sound when your child sleeps? Is their nose running constantly? Are they wheezing while asleep? Your small child or baby sleeps with their mouth open, or they snore? If you answer all of these questions with a resounding “yes,” then your child might be dealing with a deviated septum.
What is that exactly? The septum itself can be best described as a thin piece of cartilage that acts as a wall between the two nostrils, separating them. When you have a deviated septum in kids, this cartilage will usually be displaced to one side, the nasal cavity’s two passages are uneven, and one nostril may be bigger than the other.
A deviated septum can lead to breathing problems and chronic nasal discharge in more severe cases. This may have a profoundly negative impact on your child’s quality of life.
Fortunately, the expert team at Worldwide Pediatrics has treated many deviated septums in newborns and children throughout the years. In this article, we’ll help parents learn everything about the causes, symptoms, and available treatment options.
Deviated Septum: Causes and Treatments
A deviated septum is common, as around 80% of the entire population can have a sideways displacement. For starters, it may develop during fetal development. In these cases, the deviated septum in a newborn is usually diagnosed soon after birth.
In later years, deviated septums in kids may develop for other reasons, such as accidents or nose injuries.
The latter will typically occur while children play sports, bump into a wall, fall off a bicycle, or get into a car accident. In rarer cases, off-center and crooked nasal cartilage may result from another condition or previous surgery.
The most apparent symptoms of a deviated septum in kids are the following:
- Noisy and unusual breathing while sleeping
- Preferring to sleep only on a particular side
- Stuffy nose that seems chronic
- Chronic discharge from the nose
- Frequent sinus infections
- Frequent headaches
- Facial pain
- Mild sleep apnea and snoring
- Having difficulties breathing comfortably through the nose
How To Diagnose a Deviated Septum?
Typically, during the first appointment, the pediatrician might ask you a few questions about your child’s symptoms. Then, they may perform a physical exam, where they will closely examine the problematic area, i.e., your child’s nose. When diagnosing a deviated septum, they will take a thorough look at both the outside and inside of the nose (the latter by shining a bright light directly into the nostrils).
If the situation is more severe than previously thought, the pediatrician may recommend visiting an ears, nose, and throat (ENT) pediatrician so your child receives the best possible care and treatment.
Treating a Deviated Septum
After correctly diagnosing the case, the child’s healthcare provider may choose to prescribe a decongestant to keep the swelling of the nasal passages and septum to a minimum. They may also recommend a variety of nasal sprays, but their prolonged use may cause other problems, such as over-dependence. More specifically, when the child suddenly withdraws from spray usage, the symptoms associated with the deviated septum may worsen and become even more of a problem for the child.
On the other hand, in most cases, prescribed medication will only help with symptom management in the case of a deviated septum. Still, the condition itself will not be corrected with medication alone. As such, when treatments seize, the previous bothersome symptoms may return.
For the most part, severe and bothersome cases can only be efficiently resolved with surgical methods. Deviated septum surgery is called septoplasty, in which medical experts reconstruct the septum and clear up the nasal passages in the process, improving breathing and alleviating all symptoms for good.
About Septoplasty
The entire reconstructive plastic surgery will be performed exclusively through the nostrils. In some cases, the surgical procedure is performed together with other surgeries that will allow even more natural breathing through the nostrils or nose. These may be nasal cautery, sinus surgery, inferior turbinate reduction, or nasal endoscopy.
Septoplasty is a more common surgical procedure in adolescent children between the ages of 16 and 18. This is because the cartilage in younger kids is still developing, and having the procedure at an earlier age may negatively affect midface growth.
Still, in cases where the nasal obstruction from the deviated septum is severe enough and causing prominent problems with breathing, even visible issues with one nostril being bigger than the other, it may be necessary to perform the septoplasty at an earlier age. This may be frightening for the parents. However, they should rest assured that when working with the best medical experts, their child will be safe and given the most appropriate treatment plan to recover quickly.
Septoplasty: The Process
This outpatient procedure is minimally-invasive, taking no longer than 60 to 90 minutes, depending on the severity of the given case. Typically, a septoplasty will involve the following surgical steps:
- First, the child will be placed under general anesthesia under the supervision of a pediatric anesthesiologist.
- The pediatric surgeon will make a small incision inside the child’s nose, and if additional procedures should be performed as well, more cuts on the outside may be made.
- Then, the surgeon will cut the mucous membrane to reshape or even remove the septum with an endoscope, which is a flexible tool with a light at the end that helps the medical expert see the surgical site better.
- The surgeon may make other repairs to the sinuses and the nose if required.
- When everything’s done, the surgeon will close the incision(s) with stitches.
- Gauze or cotton may also be placed inside the nose of the child.
When to Visit an ENT?
For the most part, your pediatrician will mostly be able to help with symptom management regarding your child’s nasal obstruction. Still, only an ENT or otolaryngologist is qualified to give a precise and definitive evaluation of the state of the deviated septum.
It’s also crucial to consult with a pediatric otolaryngologist. While general otolaryngologists can also diagnose, treat, and surgically correct deviated septums in kids, pediatric ENT experts have received unique training that focuses more on children. They also have the necessary equipment to effectively handle any issues that may arise when treating teens, children, and even babies.
Work Closely With the Best Experts
A deviated septum in children may be able to cause an array of problems, especially if their discomfort is significant and the problem is left untreated. While most surgeries to correct these conditions usually take place in the adolescent years, it’s always a great idea to get any bothersome symptoms evaluated by a pediatric expert. Also, severe cases typically require intervention even in earlier years.
On that note, if you are looking for excellent general pediatric care in Plantation and Doral, Florida, schedule an appointment with us. We will help catch any medical issues or irregularities in your child’s development and strive to provide you with the best treatment options.
