KBB-Forum 2008 , Cilt 7, Sayı 2

LONG TERM RESULTS OF RADIOFREQUENCY SURGERY IN TREATMENT OF INFERIOR TURBINATE HYPERTROPHY

Dr. Ahmet Emre SÜSLÜ1, Dr. Serap KÖYBAŞI ŞANAL1, Dr. Yusuf Özgür BİÇER2, Dr. Yasemin ONGUN1
1İzzet Baysal Tıp Fakültesi, KBB Hastalıkları Anabilim Dalı, Bolu, Türkiye
2Gülhane Askeri Tıp Akademisi, KBB Hastalıklar Anabilim Dalı, Ankara, Türkiye
Objective: To report long-term efficacy of radiofrequency surgery in treatment of inferior turbinate hypertophy.

Material and Methods: Reports of patients, who were treated with radiofrequency for inferior turbinate hypertrophy, were retrospectively reviewed. Preoperative and short-term (2 months) postoperative 10 cm visual analog scales (VAS) for evaluation of nasal obstruction were analyzed. All patients that were included into the study were given the same VAS. Preoperative, short-term and long-term VAS scores were compared by performing repeated measures variance analysis.

Results: Eighty nine patiens were included into the study. The mean follow-up was 30.5 ± 5.8 months. The mean preoperative VAS score was 8.6 ±1 while the short-term and long-term scores were 4.2 ± 2.3 and 4.7 ± 2.7 respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between short-term and long-term VAS scores (p=0.29).

Conclusion: Radiofrequency is effective in treating inferior turbinate hypertrophy with sustained benefit at long-term follow-up. Keywords : Radiofrequency, inferior turbinate hypertrophy, visual analog scale