Nasal Obstruction Outcomes in Medial Flap Turbinoplasty and Inferior Turbinate Submucous Resection
Year: 2024
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: OBJECTIVES: To compare longitudinal improvement in nasal obstruction quality-of-life outcomes between medial flap turbinoplasty (MFT) and inferior turbinate submucous resection (SMR) concurrently performed with functional septorhinoplasty. METHODS: Retrospective review of a prospectively collected cohort of patients undergoing functional septorhinoplasty between 2015 and 2022 at a tertiary academic center. Outcomes were assessed using the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) questionnaire preoperatively and over 12 months postoperatively. RESULTS: 373 patients were analyzed with longitudinal NOSE questionnaires. Of these, 298 underwent SMR and 75 underwent MFT. The proportion of concurrent intraoperative techniques including rim graft, spreader graft, auto-spreader graft, intradomal sutures, interdomal sutures, and alar spanning sutures were not significantly different between the two cohorts. Patients in all surgical groups had a statistically and clinically significant improvement in NOSE scores between their preoperative and postoperative follow-up visits (p < 0.001). MFT patients had higher NOSE scores 1 month postoperatively (40.0 ± 30.5 vs. 31.0 ± 27.97; p = 0.017), but lower scores after 10 months (15.2 ± 13.3 vs. 25.4 ± 23.5; p = 0.036). Similarly, patients in the MFT cohort in primary rhinoplasty procedures reported higher scores initially but lower after 10 months (p = 0.024). Men in the MFT cohort reported significantly better NOSE outcomes than the SMR cohort as early as 4 months post-surgery and sustained this improvement longitudinally throughout the follow-up period (10.6 ± 12.3 vs. 22.6 ± 21.4; p = 0.012). CONCLUSION: MFT and SMR offer beneficial long-term nasal breathing outcomes among patients undergoing functional rhinoplasty, though further study in appropriate patient selection is indicated. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 Laryngoscope, 135:1983-1988, 2025.
Source: The Laryngoscope
DOI: 10.1002/lary.31966
Language: English
Subfield: Surgery
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4405813675