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Efficacy of inferior turbinate coblation for treatment of nasal obstruction

S E J Farmer^a1 c1, S M Quine^a2 and R Eccles^a1

^a1 Common Cold Centre, Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, UK

^a2 Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, Wales, UK

Abstract

Objective: To determine the efficacy of inferior turbinate coblation for the treatment of nasal obstruction.

Methods: Twenty patients awaiting submucosal diathermy to the inferior turbinates were recruited into the study. All underwent inferior turbinate coblation. Pre-operative and post-operative nasal function was investigated using posterior rhinomanometry and subjective symptom scales.

Results: There was no significant increase in nasal conductance two weeks after inferior turbinate coblation (p = 0.159). However, three months after inferior turbinate coblation, median nasal conductance had increased significantly, from 203 to 324 cm³/s (p = 0.004). The median increase in nasal conductance was 73 cm³/s or 43.5 per cent. Post-operative visual analogue patients' reported post-operative visual analogue scales scores for nasal obstruction decreased significantly, both two weeks (p = 0.006) and three months after inferior turbinate coblation (p = 0.001) when compared to Pre-operative values. There was no change in the reported severity of rhinorrhoea, nasal itching or sneezing. There was a significant relationship (ρ = −0.57, p = 0.014) between pre-operative nasal conductance and change in nasal conductance after inferior turbinate coblation.

Conclusions: This study confirms the short-term efficacy of inferior turbinate coblation for the treatment of nasal obstruction. The benefit was greatest in patients with lower pre-operative nasal conductance. Objective measures of nasal obstruction may be important when selecting patients for inferior turbinate coblation.

(Accepted April 10 2008)

(Online publication June 09 2008)

Key words

• Nasal Obstruction;
• Turbinates;
• Electrosurgery

Correspondence:

^c1 Address for correspondence: Miss Sarah Farmer, ENT Specialist Registrar, Common Cold Centre, Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3US, Wales, UK. Fax: 029 20 874093 E-mail: farmers@cardiff.ac.uk

Footnotes

Presented as a poster at the British Rhinology Society 6th Annual Meeting, 25th May 2007, London, England, and in full at the Welsh Otorhinolaryngological Association Meeting, 26th October 2007, Swansea, Wales, UK.

Miss S E J Farmer takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper.

Competing interests: None declared