A Comparative Study of Endoscopic Submucosal Resection Turbinoplasty and Partial Inferior Turbinectomy for Management of Inferior Turbinate Hypertrophy

The inferior turbinate (IT) plays a vital function in nose physiology by regulating the temperature and humidity of inhaled air and filtering foreign particles through the mucociliary clearance system.

One of the most common manifestations of chronic rhinitis is nasal obstruction. Nasal obstruction occurs as a result of submucosal or mucosal hypertrophy associated with increased vascularity of the inferior turbinate.

The location, size, and vasoactive capabilities of the inferior turbinate relegate it as a key player in airway resistance. Multiple pathologic processes may alter the gross and microscopic structure of the inferior turbinates, including septal deviation and inflammatory disorders such as allergic rhinitis, nonallergic rhinitis, and chronic rhinosinusitis. These disorders in turn lead to histological differences in terms of hypertrophy and hyperplasia, distorted cilia, inflammatory cell infiltrates, and mucosal thickening with subsequent macroscopic changes and symptomatic obstruction.

Surgical reduction of the inferior turbinate is warranted to relieve the nasal block caused by the hypertrophied inferior turbinates. Surgical reduction of the inferior turbinate involves removal of the mucosa, soft erectile tissue, and turbinate bone. Different techniques have been applied to increase the nasal airway passage, such as conventional turbinectomy, laser turbinectomy, cryoturbinectomy, electrocautery turbinectomy, conventional Turbinoplasty, microdebrider Turbinoplasty, coblation Turbinoplasty, radiofrequency Turbinoplasty, and ultrasound Turbinoplasty. Conventional turbinectomy (total or partial) is considered very effective in relieving nasal block. Due to the excessive loss of tissue (bone and mucosa), the postoperative complications include excessive bleeding requiring blood transfusion, crusting, pain, and prolonged recovery period. Hence, a more mucosal-friendly approach is preferred; the Turbinoplasty procedure, which resects either soft tissue or bone or both with preservation of the mucosa.

Conventional Turbinoplasty is designed to remove the nonfunctional obstructive part of the turbinate while preserving the functional medial mucosa, which plays the key role in the warming and humidification of air through the nasal passages. Performed endoscopically, inferior Turbinoplasty has the advantage over the other turbinate procedures by preserving sufficient mucosa, while removing adequate obstructed tissue to improve the airway significantly. The other term used for this technique is "submucosal resection", as a reference to its submucosal dissection procedure.