Surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion (SARME) with or without intraoperative releasing of the nasal septum

Objective. To assess nasal septum deviation after surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion (SARME) with or without intraoperative releasing of the nasal septum. Study Design. A total of 20 consecutive adult patients with transverse maxillary deficiency underwent SARME with intraoperative releasing (n = 10) or nonreleasing (n = 10) of the nasal septum. Cone beam computed tomography scans were obtained immediately after surgery (T1), after the end of distraction (T2), and 6 months after SARME (T3). Deviation of the nasal septum was evaluated by angular measurements on superimposed cone beam computed tomography images from T1 to T3. Moreover, visible nasal septum deviation was assessed by using superimposed clinical photos obtained preoperatively (CP1) and before second- stage surgery (CP2). Results. No significant differences were found between releasing and nonreleasing of the nasal septum in angular radiographic measurements from T1 to T3 (0 degrees; 95% confidence interval -0.62 to 0.62; P = .5) or visible nasal deviation from CP1 to CP2 (-0.14 degrees; 95% confidence interval - \0.64 to 0.36; P = .28). Conclusions. The results of the present study indicate that there is no need for intraoperative releasing of the nasal septum during SARME. However, further randomized studies based on large patient groups are needed before final conclusions on this topic can be reached.