I Have a Deviated Septum and the Doctor Also Said It Was Deflected. What Does This Mean?

It is a matter of semantics - both terms refer to the same problem. A septal deviation or deflection can cause nasal obstruction, and often needs to be addressed at the time of rhinoplasty (making it a septorhinoplasty!)

The nasal septum is cartilage in the front and bone behind that divides the inside, of the nose, into right and left nostrils. The septum can become bend and deflect into the nostrils decreasing the nasal airway on one or both sides. When this happens a Septoplasty, to remove the deflected (crooked) portion of the septum, may be recommended by itself or part of a Rhinoplasty.

Hello, Pinkysue, in St. Paul. My family is from St. Paul and I loved going fishing there as a kid! Deviated septum and deflected septum refer to the same problem. The normally straight and non-crooked septum which is the internal partition between the two nasal passages, often either from an injury or just from a natural imperfection, is not straight and since it twists and turns in its shape, usually causes a blocked and/or a crooked nose. Also, a deviated septum, if ... more