Early influence of bilateral turbinoplasty combined with septoplasty on intranasal air conditioning.

Background: Too extensive resection of the inferior turbinates (ITs) during nasal surgery leads to a severely disturbed intranasal air conditioning. Data comparing nasal air conditioning before and after turbinoplasty in nasal surgery are still lacking. The aim of this study was to determine the early effect of bilateral turbinoplasty combined with septoplasty on intranasal heating and humidification.

Methods: Twelve patients were included into this prospective study. In one-half of the patients a bilateral turbinoplasty of the IT during nasal surgery was performed, in the other half no surgery on the IT was performed. Intranasal air temperature and humidity were measured before and after surgery. A combined miniaturized thermocouple and a humidity sensor were used for simultaneous in vivo intranasal measurements.

Results: There were no statistically significant differences in temperature and humidity values between the two study groups before surgery (p > 0.05). In both groups, the postoperative temperature and humidity values were statistically significantly higher compared with the preoperative ones (p < 0.05). Regarding the two patient groups, the postoperative increase in temperature and humidity was even more pronounced in patients undergoing additional bilateral turbinoplasty.

Conclusion: According to the results of this study, patients seemed to overall benefit from nasal surgery, with and without a preserving bilateral turbinoplasty, because intranasal air conditioning was improved after surgery. A carefully performed and conservative reduction of the IT in nasal surgery seems to even improve intranasal air conditioning.