27 K I SEPOr i gi nalAr t i c l eJ Rhinol 14(1), 2007NewDescriptionMethodandClassificationSystemforSeptalDeviation Hong-RyulJin,MD1,Joo-YunLee,MD2andWoo-JinJung,MD31Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Seoul National University, College of Medicine, Boramae Hospital, Seoul;and 2Hana Otorhinolaryngology Clinic, Cheongju;and 3Department of Otolaryngology, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Cheongju, Korea ABSTRACT Background and ObjectivesThe purpose of this study is to develop an efficient method of description and a new classi-fication system for septal deviations (SD) and to study the applicability of the new description method and classification system to a clinicalsetting.MaterialsandMethodsSixty-fivepatientswithnasalobstruction(symptomaticgroup)andthirty-five patientswithoutnasalobstruction (asymptomaticgroup)were includedinthisprospectivestudy. ThecharacteristicsofSD wereanalyzedaccordingtothenewdescriptionmethodbasedonthemorphology,site,severity,anditsinfluenceonthe external nose. Based on these observations, four classification categories of SD were introduced: localized deviation (type I), curved/angulated deviation (type II), curved/angulated deviation combined with type I (type III), and curved/angulated de-viation with associated dorsal nasal deviation (type IV). The incidence of each type of SD was calculated. ResultsIn both groups, all pathologies of the SD could be precisely described using the new description method. In both groups, the curved deviation (type II) was the most common pathology. Anterior/mid was the most common site of deviation. In the symptomatic group, moderate was the most common form of severity while mild was the most common form in the asymptomatic group. In both groups, type II was the most common. Types III and IV were significantly more common in the symptomatic group while typeIwaspredominantinthe asymptomaticgroup(p