Comparison surgical outcome of partial submucosal turbinate resection, turbinoplasty and lower turbinate cauterization

Introduction: Many medical and different surgical treatment methods are used in the treatment of lower turbinate hypertrophy, which causes nasal congestion and breathing problems. The ideal result in lower turbinate surgery is the removal of the obstruction without disturbing the nasal physiology and causing complications. Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of partial submucosal concha resection, turbinoplasty and inferior turbinate cauterization surgical methods used in the treatment of inferior turbinate hypertrophy on nasal obstruction symptoms. Material-methods: 74 patients who applied to Inonu University faculty of medicine Otorhinolaryngology clinic with the complaint of nasal obstruction and diagnosed with inferior turbinate hypertrophy between 01.12.2021 and 30.10.2022 were included in this study. Of the patients randomly divided into 3 groups, 25 patients were included in the partial submucosal concha resection, 22 patients in turbinoplasty, and 27 patients in the lower turbinate cauterization group. All patients were evaluated pre-op, post-op 1st month, 3rd month and 6th month subjectively with NOSE score and SNOT-22 questionnaire and objectively with PINF. Results: In this study, there was a statistically significant difference in the NOSE score of the turbinoplasty group at 6 months post-op compared to the other groups (p0.05), but no significant difference was found in terms of PNIF and SNOT-22 values (p0.05). When the NOSE score, SNOT-22 and PNIF preoperative values were compared with the postoperative 1st, 3rd and 6th month values in all three groups, a statistically significant difference was found (p0.05). In terms of NOSE score, there was no significant difference between postoperative 1st month and 3rd month in all three groups, but statistically significant difference was found between 1st month and 6th month and 3rd month and 6th month (p0.05). While there was a statistically significant difference between the postoperative 1st month, 3rd month and 6th month in cauterization and partial submucosal concha resection groups in terms of SNOT-22 value, no significant difference was found between the postoperative 1st month and 3rd month in the turbinoplasty group (p0.05). Conclusion: Although the post-op 6th month NOSE score of the turbinoplasty method was better, there was no difference between the three surgical methods in terms of PNIF and SNOT-22 values. All three methods were found to be effective methods to be used in the surgical treatment of inferior turbinate hypertrophy. Keywords: Nasal obstruction, partial submucosal turbinate resection, turbinoplasty, lower turbinate cauterization