Treatment of septal hematomas and abscesses in children

The cartilaginous part of the nasal septum of a child with a septal hematoma or abscess is at risk of destruction. Consequently, the noses of these children can collapse, causing a saddle nose deformity, and in time, the normal outgrowth of both the nose and maxilla will be disturbed. In adulthood, they will have an underdeveloped saddle nose deformity with too much upward rotation of the nasal tip and a retroposition of the midface. Sequelae like these should be prevented by prompt diagnosis and surgical intervention. In this article, the management of septal hematomas and abscesses is discussed with special focus on reconstruction of destructed septal cartilage with the use of autologous cartilage grafts fixed to a polydioxanon plate.