Total inferior turbinectomy for nasal airway obstruction.

A variety of surgical procedures are performed to open the nasal airway chronically obstructed by hypertrophic inferior turbinates. Because the results are universally unsatisfactory, we suggest bilateral total inferior turbinectomy to patients in whom medical therapy fails. One hundred fifty patients were followed up for one to seven years (mean, 2 1/2 years) and the results of the follow-up were assessed clinically via questionnaire and chart review. Patent nasal airway resulted in 91% of the patients. Eighty percent of the patients reported improvement in nasal breathing, and 14 (27%) of the 51 patients who suffered from nasal drainage preoperatively reported that it had stopped after the operation. Of the 39 patients who had anosmia preoperatively, 46% reported the restoration of their sense of smell. Postoperative complications are minimal, and no patient complained of crusts, dryness, or foul odor.