Splintless Nose Surgery

Splintless Nose Surgery

The phase that patients fear, hesitate about, and find most uncomfortable after traditional nose aesthetic surgeries is generally the process of removing the long gauze packings placed inside the nose postoperatively. With the rapid advancement of technology and surgical techniques, the era of splintless nose surgery, which is a revolutionary approach in modern medicine, has begun. This method puts an end to the post-operative nightmares of patients, offering a comfortable breathing process immediately after the operation and making the recovery period much more effortless. Today, instead of old-fashioned cloth structures, surgeons use much more innovative, tissue-friendly, and patient-comforting alternative methods to stabilize the intranasal tissues, thereby maximizing both operational success and patient satisfaction.

What is Splintless Nose Surgery and How is it Performed

Splintless nose surgery is a surgical method in which traditional cloth or gauze packings are never used to support the intranasal mucosa after the cartilage and bone deviations inside the nose are corrected during the operation. In this method, the surgeon uses special absorbable sutures to stabilize the mucosal lining inside the nose to each other and to eliminate the risk of bleeding or fluid accumulation (hematoma) that may occur after surgery. With this technique, called "transseptal suturing," the internal nasal septum is sewn from the inside almost like embroidery, sticking the reciprocal sides together. Thus, the nasal passage remains completely open, the airway is not blocked, and the patient is enabled to breathe comfortably through their own nose from the very first moment they come out of surgery.

Differences Between Traditional Packings and New Methods

Classic cloth or sponge packings used in the past used to fill the entire space inside the nose, completely preventing the passage of air. This situation caused patients to breathe through the mouth for days, leading to mouth dryness, sore throat, difficulty in swallowing, and a severe decrease in sleep quality. The most painful process was the moment these packings were pulled out and removed from the tissues they had adhered to. In splintless nose surgeries, or in intra-perforated silicone sutured splints (leaf splints) used as a derivative of this, adhering to the tissue is never a question. Thanks to advanced silicone structures or absorbable suture technology, patients neither experience a feeling of congestion after the surgery nor feel any pain or ache during subsequent check-ups.

Are Silicone Sutured Splints Considered Splintless Surgery

In many operations known among the public as "tamponsuz" (splintless), even though a packing is not used in the traditional sense, very thin, transparent silicone sheets (splints) can be used that force the cartilage structure inside the nose to stand straight and prevent adhesions. Right in the middle of these silicone apparatuses, there are special air channels that allow the patient to breathe. Therefore, functionally, they should never be confused with old gauze packings. Depending on the internal anatomy of the nose, the surgeon either proceeds by leaving zero material using completely a suturing technique, or prefers these comfortable silicone channels. Since both approaches grant the patient the freedom to breathe directly after the surgery and offer zero pain during the removal phase, they are evaluated within the category of modern splintless surgery.

What are the Advantages Provided by Splintless Nose Surgery

The biggest advantage this modern method offers to patients is that the first days after the operation are extremely peaceful and comfortable. Since the inside of the nose is completely open, that intense feeling of pressure that occurs in the ears and head, headaches, and watery eyes do not occur in this method. Since the obligation to breathe through the mouth is eliminated, chapped lips and upper respiratory tract dryness are not experienced. In addition, patients can return to their social lives or desk jobs much faster the day after the surgery. Post-operative dressing and control processes also cease to be an element of fear for the patient, turning into a short and painless session where the surgeon just cleans the inside of the nose.

Who is Eligible for Splintless Nose Surgery

Splintless nose aesthetics can be safely applied to almost all patients who will undergo surgery for the first time and who do not have a very advanced, excessively fragmented bone/cartilage deviation in their nose. This technique is easily preferred both in rhinoplasty operations performed with aesthetic concerns and in septoplasty surgeries performed solely for the purpose of opening the airway. However, in complex revision (secondary) cases where the patient has undergone nose surgery several times before, the internal anatomy of the nose is severely damaged, and the nasal roof is rebuilt by taking cartilage grafts from the rib or ear, the surgeon may prefer to use special internal apparatuses temporarily to extra support the inside of the nose. Whether your nose is suitable for this technique is clarified by your surgeon after a detailed endoscopic examination.