A Contemporary Review Of "Realistic" Success Rates After Surgical Closure Of Nasal Septal Perforations

Objective: The surgical closure of septal perforations is a challenging procedure. Various techniques exist. Each perforation proves that there is not the one precise procedure for all perforations. Nevertheless, success rates of about 90% are reported, although the procedure for closing the defect is challenging. Our goal was to evaluate the existing data.Methods: We performed a contemporary review of published closure rates of septal perforations on order to compare the present results in the literature. The limitations of the respective studies were analyzed.Results: We found closure rates from 30 to 100%. Numerous procedures were described and combined. Prospective studies comparing different techniques are missing. The follow-up time in studies was quite short or not even specified. Studies on long-term success rates are rare.Conclusion: The closure of septal defects is one of the most challenging rhinosurgical interventions. Closure rates >= 90% as described in literature seem relatively high. One reason might be short follow-ups and retrospective study designs. Frequently, precise information on the followup and the method of follow up is missing. Thoroughly designed prospective studies are absent. Longer follow-up times are associated with lower complete closure rates. A long-term success rate between 70 and 80% seems realistic. (C) 2021 Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Society of Japan Inc. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.