Effectiveness and safety of inferior turbinectomy : a comparison between anterior and radical trimming

Abstract

Objective : To determine whether the turbinectomy techniques used(anterior and radical trimming of inferior turbinate ) influenced the rate of outcome and complications .Patients and methods : In prospective, comparative study sixty patients admitted to Saddam General Hospital in Ramadi were diagnosed as having allergic rhinitis with bilateral inferior turbinates hypertrophy by history, clinical examination and skin test . Thirty patients underwent radical inferior turbinectomy (RT) and the other thirty, trimming of the inferior turbinates (AT) was done . The indication for the operation was persisted nasal obstruction despite medical treatment . Postoperative follow up persisted for one year, Chi-squared test used to evaluate the outcome and complications of both procedures . Results : The most common postoperative complications were infection (20% for the RT group and 10% for the AT group), synechiae (16.6% for the RT group and 10% for the AT group) And hemorrhage (10% for the RT group and 3.3% for the AT group) . Atrophic rhinitis were not observed in any of the patients. Relief of nasal obstruction was reported in 90% for the RT group and 73% for the AT group (p<0.05) .Conclusion: The radical inferior turbinectomy provides the advantage of significant improvement of nasal airway patency as compared to trimming of the anterior end of the inferior turbinates, while confining excision to the anterior end of the inferior turbinate offers the advantage of a lower incidence of complications like infection, synechiae and hemorrhage which may be massive and requires blood transfusion