The Effect of Septoplasty and Inferior Turbinate Reduction on Measures of Exercise Capacity

We seek to examine the effects of septoplasty with inferior turbinate reduction (ITR) on objective measurements of exercise physiology and how they may correlate with subjective measures such as patient-perceived improvement and disease-specific quality of life (DSQOL).

Thirteen subjects with deviated nasal septum and inferior turbinate hypertrophy limiting exercise tolerance underwent pre and 3-month postoperative exercise testing. Measurements included heart rate (HR), tidal volume (V_t), maximum oxygen consumption relative to body weight (VO₂), lactate, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) testing, in addition to two validated surveys including the NOSE instrument and SNOT-22 questionnaire.

The population included 54% women with an average age of 33.8 years. Postoperative improvement was shown in PNIF (99.6 vs. 146.7 L/min, p = 0.002) NOSE scale (13.2 vs. 2.1, p < 0.001), total SNOT-22 score (29.1 vs. 11.4, p = 0.003), and subjective improvement at Stages 3, 4, and 6 of exercise testing. There was improvement at Stage 6 in HR (177.3 vs. 171.7 bpm, p = 0.046) and lactate (lactate 5.84 vs. 4.71 mmol/L, p = 0.004). There was no change in relative VO₂ or V_t.

This is the first study to directly assess the role of septoplasty/ITR in relation to exercise performance. Participants did not show improvement in cardiovascular fitness but did have subjective improvements in performance and DSQOL. These findings support the effectiveness of septoplasty/ITR in improving tolerance to exercise independent of cardiovascular fitness level.