Efficacy of inferior turbinoplasty with the use of CO(2) laser, radiofrequency, and electrocautery.

BACKGROUND: Inferior turbinate surgery is one of the most commonly performed methods for the treatment of rhinitis symptoms, especially nasal obstruction. This is a comparative study of CO2 laser, electrocautery, and radiofrequency turbinoplasty in the treatment of rhinitis symptoms. METHODS: From 1994 to 2011, 3219 patients were enrolled in the study. Two hundred eighty-three patients were lost during follow-.up. Of the remaining 2936 patients, 1066 were managed using the CO2 laser, whereas 664 and 1206 were managed with the use of radiofrequency and electrocautery, respectively. All procedures were performed under local anesthesia. Patients were asked to evaluate their symptoms with the visual analog scale (VAS) preoperatively, as well as 1 month and 1 year postoperatively. Rhinomanometry was used to objectively evaluate the effect on nasal obstruction. RESULTS: Mean VAS values preoperatively, regarding nasal obstruction, were 7.43 ± 0.96, 7.33 ± 0.87, and 7.64 ± 0.95 in the CO2 laser, radiofrequency, and electrocautery group, respectively. One month postoperatively, the score was significantly improved in all groups (CO2 laser, 3.44 ± 0.99; radiofrequency, 3.26 ± 0.76; electrocautery, 3.19 ± 0.79), which was almost stable in the 1st year of follow-up. Similar results were also observed in the evaluation of sneezing and rhinorrhea. Outcome did not statistically differ between the three methods. CONCLUSION: The CO2 laser, radiofrequency and electrocautery offer excellent postoperative results in turbinoplasty cases under local anesthesia.