Immediate correction of congenital nasal deformities; follow-up of 8 years.

A total of 4724 newborns was screened for congenital nasal deformities. Altogether 91 (1.9%) pathological, screening-positive cases were found. Because of refusal to participate, 3 pathological cases were lost leaving 88 cases. The first 55 screening positive newborns were left without treatment while an attempt was made by an otolaryngologist to correct the remaining 33 cases within a week from delivery. Eighty-two newborns of those who passed the screening tests were analyzed as a control group. In 1987, at the age of 8 years the case and control children were interviewed by mailed questionnaire and invited to be re-examined by an ENT-surgeon. Forty-seven of the not corrected, 21 of the corrected cases and 61 controls came to the re-examination. The luxated septal cauda tended to be straight both spontaneously as well as after active treatment. The few mid-septal pathologies (vomerine junction) in the corrected group were resistant to the treatment attempted. The mid-septal deformities found in the follow-up were connected with frequent antibiotic prescriptions but not respiratory infections. No increase in frequency of otitis media or sinusitis was noticed. The immediate treatment of nasal deformities did not significantly affect the clinical status of the nose at the follow-up. Thus the benefit of immediate treatment on nasal deformities in newborns and screening to find them remains questionable.