Surgery and scars often go hand in hand. At least that's our understanding whenever we hear about surgery. However, medical advancements and progress in minimally invasive surgeries have now made it possible to get the surgery done with minimal and often no scars at all.
In such a case, a 70-year-old man recently underwent surgery to repair his eardrum without any surgical scars.
What Is A Minimally Invasive Surgery?
Mr Vyas (name changed), a 70-year-old man suffering from Nasal Blockage due to a deviated nasal septum and chronic ear infections underwent a minimally invasive surgery called Endoscopic Cartilage Tympanoplasty (eardrum repair). In the procedure, a cartilage was taken from his nose to repair his eardrum. The procedure was successfully performed at Wockhardt Hospital, Mira Road.
What Is A Deviated Nasal Septum?
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, a deviated nasal septum occurs when the thin wall (nasal septum) between your nasal passages is displaced to one side. The nasal septum is composed of bone and cartilage and ideally divides the nasal cavity into two halves. When it deviates, one nasal passage becomes significantly smaller than the other.
A deviated nasal septum can significantly impact breathing and overall nasal function, so proper diagnosis and management are important for those affected.
The symptoms of a deviated nasal septum are:
- Difficulty breathing through the nose, especially on one side
- Nasal congestion, often more on one side
- Frequent sinus infections
- Nosebleeds
- Snoring or noisy breathing during sleep
- Facial pain or headaches in some cases
Patient History
Patient Vyas, a resident of Vasai with heart disease, had heart valve repair surgery in 2016 and presented with:
- Ear discharge
- Hearing Loss
- Nose Block
- Breathlessness
- Sneezing
- Headache
- Snoring
The American Heart Association defines heart valve repair surgery as a medical procedure aimed at fixing a damaged or diseased heart valve.
Vyas seeked treatment for the same in 2024. Considering his poor heart health, age, and other comorbidities, staging surgery using anesthesia multiple times would have been difficult.
Endoscopic Tympanoplasty with Septoplasty
To treat Vyas, the doctors performed a single-stage Endoscopic Tympanoplasty with Septoplasty using Autologous Septal Cartilage from his nose.
To understand this particular case Dr Chandraveer Singh, Consultant, ENT Surgeon, Workhardt Hospitals and Dr Sheetal Radia, Consultant of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Oncosurgery, Wockhardt Hospitals spoke to the OnlyMyHealth team.
Dr Singh shared that surgery was performed in a single sitting and resulted without any scars and avoiding multiple anaesthesia sessions. This type of surgery is safe and effective, with benefits like reduced operating time, in a single sitting with good graft uptake, minimal pain, and no visible scars behind the ear.
Dr Singh said, “The Nasal Septum was deviated and there was perforation in the eardrum. This was confirmed by clinical examination, CT scan of the temporal bone, and audiometry test of the patient.”
Dr Radia explained that Eustachian Tube Dysfunction is when the tubes that connect your middle ears to your upper throat become blocked causing tinnitus and DNS causing:
- Nosebleeds
- Sinusitis
- Headaches
- Noisy breathing during sleep
- Nasal congestion
- Obstruction of one or both nostrils
- Snoring
The experts confirmed that the patient is now symptom-free after the surgery and can breathe properly. Not treating the patient at the right time could have led to complications such as Hearing loss, Sinusitis Tinnitus, etc. Many patients like him having the same problem underwent timely intervention after Vyas.
Concluding his story Vyas expressed his gratitude saying, "I thank the doctors for their accurate diagnosis and treatment and for helping me overcome breathlessness and regain my hearing.”
Also Read: Expert Shares Tips To Prevent Age-Related Hearing Loss Or Presbycusis