Septoplasty with concomitant inferior turbinate reduction reduces the need for revision procedure

Septoplasty is an accepted and common surgical intervention to improve the nasal airway. However, the role of concomitant surgery on the inferior turbinate remains debated. This study aims to investigate if the inferior turbinate surgery at the time of septoplasty would impact on the likelihood of revision nasal surgery - septoplasty or septorhinoplasty.

Retrospective review of consecutive patients undergoing septoplasty with or without inferior turbinate reduction over 12 years (1998 - 2010) at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

Patients were identified from the theatre log books and were excluded if they underwent any other nasal procedure. Data collected include demographics, type of primary surgery, and grade of surgeon along with revision nasal surgery in this cohort.

2168 eligible patients with a mean age of 39 years were investigated. Two groups were identified: Group A, with 788 patients who underwent septoplasty only, and Group B, in which 1380 patients underwent septoplasty with concomitant inferior turbinate reduction. The majority of operations were performed by the surgeons in training. The incidence of revision surgery was 5.1 % (21 revision septoplasties and 19 corrective septorhinoplasties) in Group A compared to 2.2 % (20 revision septoplasties and 10 corrective septorhinoplasties) in Group B.

Based on this study, it would appear that concomitant inferior turbinate reduction may decrease the likelihood of revision nasal surgery.