Topical Anesthesia Versus Submucosal Injection for Radiofrequency Turbinoplasty: Same Benefit but without Patient's...

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Anesthesiology
• Rhino-surgery

Background:

• Inferior turbinate hypertrophy often causes nasal obstruction.
• Radiofrequency turbinoplasty is a common treatment for this condition.
• Effective anesthesia is crucial for patient comfort during the procedure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the anesthetic efficacy of lidocaine-epinephrine pledgets versus lidocaine-epinephrine injection for radiosurgery of inferior turbinates.
• To evaluate patient-reported outcomes including pain, anxiety, and swallowing difficulties.
• To assess the impact on nasal symptoms and turbinate size post-surgery.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 120 patients undergoing radiofrequency turbinoplasty.
• Patients were randomized into two groups: pledget anesthesia or injection anesthesia.
• Pain, anxiety, swallowing, nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea, sneezing, and headache were assessed using visual analogue scales and clinical evaluation.

Main Results:

• Pledget anesthesia resulted in significantly less pain during the procedure compared to injection anesthesia (p < 0.01).
• No significant differences were found in anxiety, choking sensation, or swallowing difficulty between the groups.
• All patients experienced significant improvement in nasal symptoms post-surgery, with no inter-group differences.

Conclusions:

• Anesthesia with lidocaine-epinephrine pledgets is more effective in reducing procedural pain during inferior turbinate radiosurgery than injection.
• Both anesthetic techniques yield comparable surgical outcomes and symptom relief.
• Radiofrequency turbinoplasty effectively reduces turbinate hypertrophy and improves nasal airflow.