The Effect of Nasal Packing with Rolled Silastic Sheet after Closed Reduction of Nasal Bone Fracture

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Nasal bone fracture is the most common type of facial bone fracture and most of nasal bone fracture is combined with septal fracture frequently. Nasal septum is important to support the distal nose and to maintain the nasal airway. But nasal septal fractures are usually unrecognized and untreated at the time of operation. Recently, various materials were using for nasal packing after closed reduction, however these materials are not focused on the correction of nasal bone and nasal septal fracture and many patients are suffered from nasal packing materials. Thus, the purpose of this study is to compare routine packing materials and rolled silastic sheet with respect to postoperative effect of correction of nasal bone fracture and discomfort of nasal packing materials. METHODS: We examined 320 patients treated nasal bone fracture from January 2008 to December 2010. For Group I(n=92), Merocel(R) was used for nasal packing, for Group II(n=152) vaseline gauze was used, and Rolled silastic sheet(RSS) with vaseline gauze packing(VGP) was used for Group III(n=76). Under the general anesthesia, all patients were operated by closed reduction and nasal packing was done using three kinds of packing materials. At the time of postoperative 7 days, packing material was removed and studied for pt's satisfaction and postop. complications. RESULTS: In patients with RSS with VGP, the complaints (nasal obstruction, foreign compressive sensation and discomfort during food ingestion) of keeping the nasal packing were decreased(p0.05). CONCLUSION: Postoperative nasal packing with RSS with VGP was more comfortable to the patients and it was more effective method to correct the nasal bone fracture and nasal septal fracture.