Septal Perforation Repair in Palo Alto, CA

Name: Septal Perforation Repair
Brand: Mehta Plastic Surgery
Rating: 4.9 (154 reviews)

Dr. Mehta is a Palo Alto specialist in septal perforation repair, an extremely delicate procedure done to correct a hole in the nasal septum due to trauma, surgical complications, and more.

Understanding Septal Perforation

A septal perforation is a hole in the septum, which is the vertical structure that divides the nose into two halves. The septum is composed of bone and cartilage. It’s covered on each side by soft tissue and mucosa. The most common causes of septal perforation include trauma, drug use (specifically cocaine), nasal sprays, infections, surgery, and repeated cauterizations for nosebleeds.

Symptoms

Not all septal perforations cause symptoms. When symptoms do occur, they may include:

Difficulty breathing
Congestion
Whistling
Crusting around the perforation
Nosebleeds
Runny nose

Your Septal Perforation Repair

Your septal perforation repair in Palo Alto at Mehta Plastic Surgery will take one to three hours to complete. The techniques used will depend mainly on the size and location of the perforation, as well as your unique needs.

In many cases, the repair can be done through a closed approach, meaning all the work is done inside the nostrils without external incisions. However, larger perforations could necessitate an open approach, meaning Dr. Mehta will create a tiny inverted V-shaped incision between the nostrils.

What To Know About Septal Perforation Repair

When repairing septal perforations, Dr. Mehta may:

Rotate mucosal flaps from portions of the septum that are intact.
Rotate tissue from the turbinates, which are structures inside the nose on either side of the septum.
Repair the perforation with a temporalis fascia graft, which is a thin piece of tissue taken from the covering of the bite muscle. To harvest this graft, Dr. Mehta will make a tiny incision behind the hairline. He won’t cut or shave your hair, and the incision heals very well.

With all the above techniques, Dr. Mehta will also use the PDS Flexible Plate. This thin plate provides structural support to the fascia graft or mucosal flap during the recovery process. It’s made of the same material as dissolvable sutures. Dr. Mehta places this plate during surgery so that it spans the perforation. Then he covers both sides of the plate with fascia or mucosa. As you heal, the PDS plate slowly dissolves inside the septum.

Once the procedure is complete, Dr. Mehta will stabilize the repair with Doyle Splints. He’ll remove them during an office visit one to two weeks after your surgery.

Rhinoplasty and Septal Perforation

If you also want to change the shape of your nose with rhinoplasty, Dr. Mehta can perform your nose job at the same time as your septal perforation repair in Palo Alto. In fact, combining the procedures is beneficial for a few reasons.

The surgical approach is similar for both procedures, and the cartilage or fascia that’s used to repair the perforation can help with nasal reshaping. It’s also beneficial to perform both procedures at once, so you only have one recovery period.

FAQ

Can a septal perforation heal on its own?

Is septal perforation repair covered by insurance?

Can a septal perforation heal on its own?

It’s possible for small perforations to heal on their own. Larger perforations typically require surgical repair.

Is septal perforation repair covered by insurance?

Insurance may cover a portion of your septal perforation repair. During your initial consultation at our Palo Alto office, our staff will review your insurance coverage and help you determine if the procedure is covered by your plan.

Septal Perforation Repair in Palo Alto, CA

Understanding Septal Perforation

Symptoms

Your Septal Perforation Repair

What To Know About Septal Perforation Repair

Rhinoplasty and Septal Perforation

FAQ

Can a septal perforation heal on its own?

Is septal perforation repair covered by insurance?

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