Chronic allergic or non-allergic rhinitis lead to irreversible hypertrophy of inferior nasal turbinates that results in one of the most common nasal symptoms as chronic nasal obstruction. Chronic nasal obstruction affects the life style of the patient. Effects will be like mouth breathing, nasal speech, dryness of oropharynx, sleep disorders, fatigue, decreased effort and restlessness.
First line of management is conservative usually using intranasal corticosteroids so if it fails many other lines of surgical management can be conducted.
Mucosal sparing techniques like microdebrider-assisted turbinoplasty, radiofrequency ablation and coblation assisted turbinoplasty are widely used nowadays.
Diode laser can be used as an office procedure for turbinate reduction.
Other techniques are turbinectomy either radical or partial, sub mucosal resection using conventional bipolar, out fracture of the inferior turbinate, injection of corticosteroids, injection of sclerosing agents, vidian neurectomy and Cryosurgery.
The aim of any surgical procedure trying to reduce inferior turbinate size is to create adequate airway to alleviate symptoms, also to keep turbinate function besides not to over excise to avoid complications as empty nose syndrome and atrophic rhinitis.
Other complications of inferior turbinate surgeries include crustations, bleeding, synechiae, dryness, charring and scarring.