Structural Changes of Inferior Turbinate in Patients with Septal Deviation: Surgical Implication

ABSTRACT

Septal deviation causes various nasal symptoms and other sinonasal disease. We evaluated the relationship between septal deviation and morphologic changes of the inferior turbinate. PNS CT of 31 patients (septal deviation group) and 20 normal subjects (normal control group) were reviewed. We measured the thickness of the inferior turbinate and the angle between the lateral nasal wall and the inferior turbinate in each group. Each measurements were analyzed using t-test and compared. The thic-kness of the inferior turbinate and the angle between the lateral nasal wall and the inferior turbinate showed no difference between the right and left side in the control group. The same measurement of the convex side in the septal deviation group were not different from those of the control group. However, the thickness of the inferior turbinate and the angle between the lateral nasal wall and the inferior turbinate differed significantly from the control group data. Changes of the inferior turbinate in septal deviation were caused not only by hypertrophy of the inferior turbinate, but also by the increased angle between the lateral nasal wall and the inferior turbinate.