[Effect of septoplasty on the modality of inferior turbinate: a CT study]

To explore the effect of septoplasty on the modality of inferior turbinate in patients with a deviated nasal septum.

Twenty-three patients with nasal septum deviation underwent septoplasty without turbinate surgery. All patients underwent CT imaging scans before and 3 months after the surgery. The thicknesses of the medial mucosa, lateral mucosa,and the cross-sectional areas of the inferior turbinate were measured and compared using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. P<0. 05 was considered statistically significant.

On the concave side of the septum, the thickness of the medial mucosa of the inferior turbinate was(5. 3+/-1.5) mm to (4. 1+/-1. 2) mm (P<0. 05), the thicknesses of the lateral mucosa of the inferior turbinate was(2. 5+/-0. 9) mm to (2.0+/-0. 9) mm (P>0. 05), and the cross-sectional area of the inferior turbinate was(139. 8 +/- 35.6) mm2 to( 110. 3 +/- 22.6)mm2 (P<0.05), pre- and post-operatively. On the convex side of the septum , the thickness of the medial mucosa of the inferior turbinate was(1.0 +/- 0. 6) mm to(4. 3 +/- 0. 6) mm (P>0. 05), the thicknesses of the lateral mucosa of the inferior turbinate was(1. 9+/-1. 1) mm to (1. 9+/-1.3) mm (P>0. 05), and the cross-sectional area of the inferior turbinate was(104. 5+/-15. 8)mm2 to(108. 3 +/- 20. 8)mm2 (P>0. 05), pre- and post-operatively.

The compensatory hypertrophic inferior turbinate may be self-adaptability in modality soon after septoplasty, thus surgeons must take it into consideration before performing turbinate surgery.