Treatment of inferior turbinate pathology: a review and critical evaluation of the different techniques

At least 13 surgical techniques have been used over the past 130 years to t reat hypertrophy of the inferior turbinate. These methods are reviewed and critically analyzed in this article. Our review of the literature revealed a serious lack of qualified studies. Research meeting the criteria for a pr ospective comparative randomized surgical study is extremely rare. In our o pinion, the purpose of surgically reducing the inferior turbinates should b e to diminish complaints while preserving function. From that perspective, it seems that electrocautery, chemocautery, (subtotal) turbinectomy, cryosu rgery, and laser surface surgery should not be used, as these techniques ar e too destructive. Intraturbinal turbinate reduction (intraturbinal turbino plasty) would seem to be the method of choice.