Pediatric nasal septal perforation.

[OBJECTIVE] 1.) Describe demographic and clinical characteristics of pediatric nasal septal perforations (NSP), 2.) Analyze efficacy of treatment modalities in symptom management and resolution of pediatric NSP, 3.) Describe the surgical technique of external rhinoplasty with vascularized nasal septal flaps in the treatment of nasal septal perforations.

[METHODS] IRB-approved retrospective chart review of pediatric patients ages 0-18 years with nasal septal perforations treated at a tertiary care pediatric otolaryngology practice. Demographic and clinical characteristics including gender, age, race, and presenting symptoms, and location, size, and etiology of perforation were collected. Outcomes including persistence of perforation and symptoms at 1 year and most recent visit were recorded. A total of 20 patients were included. Statistical analysis used Fisher's t-test for categorical variables and Wilcoxon rank-sum for continuous variables.

[RESULTS] Median age was 167.5 months (1.5-221.0). The most common etiology was iatrogenic (40%), followed by button battery (20%). Thirty percent of patients underwent surgical repair. Fifty percent of patients who underwent surgical repair achieved closure of their perforation at most recent follow up.

[CONCLUSION] Pediatric NSP is a challenging issue with limited literature to date. Iatrogenic causes (40%) and button batteries (20%) were the most common etiologies of nasal septal perforation in our study. We introduce an advancement in our center's surgical technique with a case illustration with repair via external rhinoplasty and bilateral vascularized nasal septal flaps. Future larger studies may further elucidate characteristics and treatment modalities associated with successful closure.