What is a Nasal Septum?
A nasal septum is an approximately 2 X 1.5 inch wall inside the nose that divides the right side of the nasal cavity from the left side (blue arrow). The nasal septum is composed of cartilage in the front and bone in the back of the nose. Ideally, this nasal septum should be straight to allow symmetric airflow into both sides of the nose. If the septum is deviated as shown in the cartoon illustration (green arrow), one side becomes more narrow resulting in nasal obstruction. The red arrows point to the nasal mucosa lining the septum. It is possible that the septum could be deviated to BOTH sides if it first buckles over to one side and than buckles to the other side (shape of an “s”) resulting in nasal obstruction on both sides. In this particular illustration, the patient would have more difficulty breathing through the nose on the right. Sometimes, the deviated septum can be quite obvious as shown in the picture of an actual patient to the right. More often, septal deviations are loc
