Author(s):Dr Tinnu Venkat, Dr Hanshima Majeed, Dr Suchitra N Sheelan, Dr Sathish S Kumar

Received: July 27, 2026 | Accepted: July 18, 2026 | Published: July 25, 2026

Abstract

Introduction: Inferior turbinate hypertrophy is a common cause of chronic nasal obstruction and significantly affects quality of life by impairing nasal breathing, sleep, and daily activities. Surgical reduction is indicated in patients who remain symptomatic despite medical therapy. Various techniques have been described, including partial inferior turbinectomy and submucosal diathermy, with differences in efficacy, mucosal preservation, and postoperative complications. However, the optimal surgical approach remains debated.
Aims: To compare the outcomes of inferior turbinate reduction using partial inferior turbinectomy and submucosal diathermy with respect to nasal valve adequacy, symptomatic relief, postoperative crusting, synechiae formation, and postoperative morbidity.
Materials and methods: The present study was a prospective comparative study conducted from July 2024 to December 2025 in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology (ENT), Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Bengaluru. The study included a total of 60 patients diagnosed with inferior turbinate hypertrophy requiring surgical intervention. Patients were divided into two groups of 30 each: Group A – partial inferior turbinectomy and Group B – submucosal diathermy.
Result: Both groups were comparable regarding age and gender distribution (p>0.05). Symptomatic relief was significantly higher in the partial inferior turbinectomy group compared with submucosal diathermy (66.7% vs 40.0%, p=0.038). Nasal patency scores improved significantly in both groups; however, no significant difference was observed between groups at 3 months (8.23±0.69 vs 8.20±0.70, p=0.839). Postoperative bleeding, crusting, and synechiae formation showed no statistically significant differences. Submucosal diathermy demonstrated significantly lower postoperative pain scores on Day 7 (3.49±0.83 vs 4.15±1.31, p=0.023).
Conclusion: Partial inferior turbinectomy provides better symptomatic improvement, whereas submucosal diathermy offers superior early postoperative comfort. Both techniques provide comparable improvement in nasal valve adequacy with similar complication profiles.

Keywords: Inferior turbinate hypertrophy; Partial inferior turbinectomy; Submucosal diathermy; Nasal obstruction; Nasal valve; Crusting; Synechiae

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21546049

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