Keywords
Partial inferior turbinectomy
Mucosal diathermy
Nasal obstruction
VAS score
Surgical outcomes
How to Cite
Abstract
Background:
The hypertrophy of the inferior turbinate is one of the frequent causes of chronic nasal obstruction which causes high morbidity and low quality of life. Although the medical treatment is the primary approach to treatment, a large number of patients need surgical intervention because of the persistent symptoms. Surgical techniques that are most frequently used include partial inferior turbinectomy, mucosal diathermy and other surgical procedures, however, the effectiveness of the two is a controversial issue.
Methodology:
The time frame of this randomized controlled trial was 20th December, 2024 up to 20th April, 2025 at the Department of ENT at Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar. One hundred and eighty six patients of the age group 18 to 60 years were recruited and randomized into two groups with the help of blocked randomization. Group A consisted of mucosal diathermy and Group B consisted of partial inferior turbinectomy. Nares obstruction in baseline and 1-month postoperative was measured with the use of visual analog scale (VAS). The criterion of effectiveness was considered VAS less than 4 during the postoperative stage. The IBM SPSS version 25 was used in data analysis, and the p ≤0.05 was deemed to be significant.
Results:
Both groups showed significant improvement in nasal obstruction; however, the reduction in VAS score was greater in the partial inferior turbinectomy group. The mean postoperative VAS was 3.96 ± 1.12 in the mucosal diathermy group and 2.84 ± 0.98 in the turbinectomy group (p < 0.001). Effectiveness was achieved in 77.4% of patients in the mucosal diathermy group compared to 92.5% in the turbinectomy group (p = 0.006).
Conclusion:
Compared to the mucosal diathermy, partial inferior turbinectomy is more efficient in the reduction of nasal obstructiveness in patients with inferior turbinate hypertrophy, with the two methods showing significant improvements in symptomatic response.