Turbinate Surgery in Chronic Rhinosinusitis: Techniques and Ultrastructural Outcomes

Chronic nasal obstruction due to hypertrophic rhinitis is commonly associ- ated with perennial allergic and nonallergic rhinitis. It is not a simple enlargement of mucosal and submucosal tissues, but it is characterized by deep histological modifications. This pathology, a very frequent condition encountered in rhinologi- cal practice, has a significant impact on quality of life. Patients usually complain about sneezing, rhinorrhea, frontal headache, postnasal drip, snoring, blocked nasal ducts, and sleep disorders. When medical therapy fails, surgical reduction of inferior turbinates is mandatory. A large variety of surgical techniques in lit- erature exist, but there is a lack of consensus about which is the proper technique to perform. In this chapter, we describe the most important techniques of inferior turbinate reduction with advantages and disadvantages of each one.