Inferior Turbinate Reduction: Diode LASER or Conventional Partial Turbinectomy?

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Laser Applications in Medicine

Background:

• Inferior turbinate hypertrophy is a primary cause of nasal obstruction.
• Diode laser technology has demonstrated efficacy comparable to other laser systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare diode laser turbinate reduction (LTR) with conventional partial inferior turbinectomy (PIT).
• To evaluate outcomes including nasal obstruction improvement, bleeding, pain, and healing speed.

Main Methods:

• A nonrandomized controlled trial involving 60 patients (30 in LTR group, 30 in PIT group).
• Postoperative assessment of nasal obstruction up to 6 months.
• Measurement of intraoperative bleeding, daily pain scores (up to 5 days), and healing time.

Main Results:

• Subjective nasal obstruction relief was 90.8% with LTR vs. 65% with PIT (P < .05).
• LTR showed significantly lower pain scores (P = .0001), reduced intraoperative bleeding (8.03 mL vs. 23.29 mL, P = .00001), and faster healing (3.03 weeks vs. 6.33 weeks, P = .00001).

Conclusions:

• Diode laser turbinate reduction (LTR) is more effective than partial inferior turbinectomy (PIT) for treating inferior turbinate hypertrophy.
• LTR offers significant advantages in patient outcomes and reduces treatment morbidity.