ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to compare the nasality and acoustic variables of control subjects and those of patients with deviated nasal septum (DNS), preoperatively and postoperatively. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Twenty patients who underwent septoturbinoplasty (DNS group) and ten control subjects (control group) who did not complain of nasal obstruction or did not show any anatomic or pathologic abnormality were selected. Performed for these subjects were acoustic rhinometry, rhinomanometry, nasality test and long-term average spectrum analysis of nasal sound sentence. Data were collected and analyzed prior to and 4 weeks after the surgery. RESULTS: In DNS group, the volume of nasal cavity was significantly increased and the nasal resistance was decreased significantly after operation. There were no statistically significant differences in the nasality of all sentences in the DNS group compared to those in the preoperative and the postoperative group. However, alternations of several acoustic variables in the final consonant were detected. CONCLUSION: Alternation of nasality and acoustic variables was observed after septoturbinoplasty, however, the changes of nasal resistance have been shown to contribute to the results.