The nasal septum is the vertical wall that divides the nose into two nasal cavities. The nasal cavities and nasal septum are lined with a thin membrane of tissue called mucosa. In order to simplify the anatomy, the nose will be depicted as an isoceles triangle with the septum as the altitude dropped from the apex. Often, there is no history of injury to account for the irregular septum. In some individuals, the septum loses its midline position during the growth process rather than as the result of injury.
Few adults have a septum that is completely straight.
Sometimes the septum is bent as a result of birth trauma. During childhood or adult life, trauma plays a major factor in producing septal deviation. Septoplasty is an operation to correct a deformity of the nasal septum. The usual purpose is to improve nasal breathing, but it may also be performed to allow adequate examination of the inside of the nose for treatment of polyps, inflammation, tumors, or bleeding. When the nasal septum is deformed, there is no medicine that will cause it to be straightened, so surgery is the only solution to this problem.