I’ve got a septoplasty coming up in a few weeks. I have had inconsistent restfulness after sleep for a number of years now and after speaking with my doctor about my inability to breathe through my nose when I lie down, he referred me to an ENT. After conservative management was tried (Flonase with breathe right strip before bed), the ENT recommended surgery. I have not yet had a sleep study to confirm whether or not this was actual sleep apnea.
I have my pre op appointment tomorrow and the surgeon has ordered a chest x-ray. I’m doing some reading and read through the AAFP guidelines, “There is no high-quality evidence on the effectiveness of routine preoperative chest radiography.” The only risk factor for me is the fact that surgery is being done in my nose. Even still, AAFP gives a “C” rating to risk factors being a reason to do a chest x-ray. I don’t have any other risk factors as mentioned in the article (I’m a 26 year old male, not obese, not diabetec/prediabetic, childhood history of asthma but no symptoms or medication used for this since childhood). I’m also concerned about the possibility that false positives on chest x-rays can trigger unnecessary tests, anxiety, and a delay in the surgical procedure.
Am I on the right track as far as the current recommendations? How can I talk with my physician about this? My PCP will be doing the screening. I’m not a physician myself and am not sure how to approach this topic.
Some other sources I came across: