Inferior turbinate hypertrophy: Review of current surgical techniques

Abstract

Nasal obstruction is a common complaint, one of the most frequent causes being inferior turbinate hypertrophy, which can be managed with surgery when medical treatment fails. In the last decades, multiple surgical techniques and associated tech­nology have been developed, however, there is no established consensus on what is the best option for the management of this pathology. Literature review, the available surgical methods are stated, taking into account benefits, probable complications and results of each technique. The surgery of inferior turbinate has favorable results in patients with hypertrophic turbinates that do not respond to medical management. To date, microdebrider turbinoplasty has shown superiority in terms of long-term results and lower complication rates. The evidence available to date lacks homogeneity in terms of patient selection methods, measurement of results and follow-up time, so prospective controlled studies are needed in the future to reassess the described methods.