Inferior Turbinate Blades

Journal Articles Related to the Inferior Turbinate Blade and Powered Inferior Turbinoplasty

Liu C-M, Tan C-D, Lee F-P, Lin K-N, Huang H-M. Microdebrider-assisted versus radiofrequency-assisted inferior turbinoplasty. Laryngoscope 2009;119:414-8.

In the first three-year study directly comparing long-term efficacy of the two turbinoplasty techniques, patients treated with Medtronic's Straightshot^® Microdebrider and Inferior Turbinate Blade experienced significantly better long-term outcomes than those who received treatment with Coblation^® radiofrequency.¹ The study found that, compared with preoperative findings, subjective and objective measurements in the microdebrider group had improved significantly at all postoperative assessment times. In the Coblation group, significant improvements were observed at 6 months and 1 year, but not at 2 and 3 years.

Additionally, Atef et al² studied 102 patients with chronic hypertrophic rhinitis, hypertrophied inferior turbinates, and nasal obstruction who underwent Coblation treatment. The results showed that 91% of patients didn’t have complete relief of their nasal obstruction after one Coblation session, and 63% of patients failed to achieve relief after a second Coblation treatment was performed.²

Other studies also show more effective long-term results with powered inferior turbinoplasty compared to radiofrequency turbinoplasty.^3-4 Additional research has been done related to the Inferior Turbinate Blades and/or various methods of inferior turbinate reduction.^5-8