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 treat 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 prospective comparative randomized surgical study is extremely rare. In our opinion, the purpose of surgically reducing the inferior turbinates should be to diminish complaints while preserving function. From that perspective, it seems that electrocautery, chemocautery, (subtotal) turbinectomy, cryosurgery, and laser surface surgery should not be used, as these techniques are too destructive. Intratubinal turbinate reduction (intraturbinal turbinoplasty) would seem to be the method of choice.