Comparison of the Effects of 2 Surgical Techniques Used in the Treatment of Concha Bullosa on Olfactory Functions

Abstract

Introduction: Concha bullosa (CB), which is pneumatization of the concha, is one of the most commonly seen anatomic variations of the lateral nasal wall. Objective: To investigate the effects on olfactory function of lateral turbinectomy and crushing methods used in the surgical treatment of CB. Methods: The study included a total of 47 patients operated on for a diagnosis of CB and nasal septum deviation. The patients comprised 22 females and 25 males, with bilateral CB in 18 cases and unilateral in 29 cases. Intervention was made to a total of 65 CB. The cases were separated as those applied with septoplasty and lateral turbinectomy in group 1 (n = 34) and those applied with the septoplasty and crushing method in group 2 (n = 31). The olfactory function of the patients was evaluated preoperatively and at 3 months postoperatively with the Brief Smell Identification Test. Results: A statistically significant increase was determined in the postoperative smell test results compared with the preoperative values in both group 1 ( P = .021) and group 2 ( P = .001). When the change in the smell test results from preoperative to postoperative was compared between the groups, the increase in group 2 was determined to be statistically significantly greater ( P = .002). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the crushing method in surgical treatment of CB increased olfactory functions more than the lateral resection method, and as the improvement in olfactory functions was greater, this demonstrated that only increasing the nasal cavity is not sufficient and the nasal mucosa should be protected as far as possible.

A Prospective Evaluation of Quality of Life in Patients Undergoing Extended Endoscopic Endonasal Surgery for Benign Pituitary Gland Lesion

“…However, the data regarding anosmia and parosmia is contradicting. 23 24 25 The ASBS-specific symptoms domain includes items regarding the sense of smell, which did not deteriorate significantly among our cohort. The latter is interesting in the context of the conflicting data regarding the effect of middle turbinectomy on QOL.…”

Analysis of conductive olfactory dysfunction using computational fluid dynamics

“…The first case was of a pneumatized middle turbinate (concha bullosa). Since the wall of the middle turbinate is continuous with the olfactory cleft, concha bullosa tends to cause stenosis of the olfactory cleft or inhibit the inflow of air ( Fig 4C–4H ) [ 28 , 29 ]. The second case was of a pneumatized superior turbinate, extending anteriorly between the middle turbinate and the septum leading to anosmia or hyposmia due to obstruction of the olfactory cleft ( Fig 4A–4D ) [ 30 ].…”

Dr. Ahila's Conchal Crusher for Concha Bullosa

“…The applications of Dr. Ahila's Conchal Crusher for Endoscopic Concha bullosa Surgery are presented. Senior Author has devised Dr. Ahila's Conchal Crusher to facilitate time saving, bloodless, non-mucosal trauma to deal with concha bullosa with a good postoperative healing [1][2][3].…”