A radiological analysis of inferior turbinate in patients with deviated nasal septum by using computed tomography

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between nasal septum deviation grade and inferior turbinate hypertrophy with the computed tomography (CT).

The paranasal sinus CTs of 82 patients with septum deviation were evaluated. Nonhypertrophied inferior turbinates on the deviated side of the nasal septum were accepted as the control group and hypertrophic inferior turbinates of the other side were taken as the compensatory group in the same patient. The turbinate bone, medial mucosa, lateral mucosa, septal deviation angle, and deviation volume were measured using three-dimensional CT.

The study group included 82 patients (M/F, 42/40) and ages ranged from 17 to 79 years (mean, 38.5 ± 14 years). There was a statistically significant positive correlation between the deviation angle and the deviation volume (p < 0.01). The measurements of the inferior turbinate bone and medial and lateral mucosal thickness were statistically different between the compensatory group and the control group (p < 0.01). There were no statistically significant differences in comparisons between the lateral and medial mucosal thickness with the deviation angle and the deviation volume in the two groups (p > 0.05). A positive correlation between the measurements of the deviation angle, deviation volume, and bone thickness was found statistically significant in the compensatory group (p < 0.05).

The compensatory hypertrophy of inferior turbinates in patients with nasal septum deviation is not only caused by mucosal hypertrophy, but also by hypertrophy of the inferior turbinate bone itself. The assistance of preoperative CT before septoplasty can be useful when deciding on the surgical technique to fix turbinate.