Objective: To compare the effectiveness of radiofrequency thermal ablation with those of microdebrider-assisted turbinoplasty, we designed a prospective, randomized clinical study.
Methods:Forty patients suffering from nasal obstruction due to bilateral inferior turbinate hypertrophy were enrolled. Half of the patients were operated by radiofrequency thermal ablation, while the other half underwent microdebrider-assisted turbinoplasty. The outcomes of both techniques were compared in terms of symptomatology, nasal patency, and mucociliary transport.Results: A statistically significant difference existed between the two groups with respect to nasal obstruction and the frequency of obstruction at the first post-operative week and first and third post-operative months (p<0.05). Rhinomanometry detected a significant decrease in nasal resistance values in both surgical groups compared to the preoperative values. The mucociliary transport time was significantly prolonged in the first postoperative week and first postoperative month in microdebrider-assisted inferior turbinoplasty group.
Conclusion:Both radiofrequency thermal ablation and microdebrider-assisted turbinoplasty are effective techniques for treating inferior turbinate hypertrophy. The treatment modality should be individually determined, and parameters such as tissue healing, volume reduction, and mucociliary activity must be taken into account.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.