Hypertrophy of the Lower Cornea of the Nose: Comparison of Surgical Techniques by Assessment of Postoperative Complications

Abstract

Background. Nasal congestion is one of the most commonly reported symptoms in clinical practice. The second most common cause of nasal congestion is hypertrophy of the lower concha, a pathology of the nose that often requires surgical treatment. The purpose of this study is to determine the most effective surgical method in patients with hypertrophy of the inferior turbinate.
 Materials and methods. The study was conducted from November 2019 to January 2023 at the Pediatric Otolaryngology Department of the Emilian Cotaga Republican Children's Clinical Hospital in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova. The study population included 205 patients who underwent surgery and were under observation in the hospital. Radiofrequency ablation was the method used in 73 patients, 68 patients were treated with microdebrider turbinoplasty, and the remaining 64 patients were treated with electrocautery. After surgery, postoperative complications were assessed and quantified.
 Results. A total of 205 patients were operated on. The first group (n=73) underwent radiofrequency ablation and had a complication rate of 30.1%. Out of 73 patients, 51 recovered without complications. The remaining 22 had complications, including 16 patients with bleeding and 6 with postnasal drip. The second group (n=68) was treated by the microdebrider method. The complication rate was 26.5%, with 50 patients having no postoperative symptoms and 18 having symptoms. In particular, postnasal drip was more common with this method, as all 18 patients experienced postnasal drip as a complication. The third group (n=64) received electrocautery. Patients in this group had the most complications (n=24), with 16 associated with postnasal drip and eight with infections that were treated promptly with oral antibiotics. The frequency of complications with this method was 37.5%.
 Conclusion. In our study, microdebrider turbinoplasty provided the lowest complication rate, followed by radiofrequency ablation and electrocautery. However, all three methods were successful in relieving nasal congestion and treating inferior turbinate hypertrophy. More research is needed, as there is still no consensus on the optimal surgical technique for inferior turbinate hypertrophy.