RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) application is a commonly used technique for the treatment of inferior turbinate hypertrophies. As the number of RFA applications has increased, some problems have been reported regarding the patient discomfort. The most frequent problems among these are the extended turbinate crusting and nasal obstruction. METHODS: Patients who received RFA were divided into two groups based on the applied energy value during the employment of the technique. Each group was including 30 patients. The patients in the first group received 8 watts and those in the second received 12 watts of energy. Saccharin transport times (STT) were measured four times. First a baseline measurement was performed followed by measurements on the 15th, 30th, and 45th days after the initial procedure. Nasal obstruction was twice assessed by peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) measurements, which were taken both before the procedure and on the 45th day after the procedure. Turbinate surface crustings that were observed for more than 15 days were considered as an extended turbinate crusting. RESULTS: The STT and PNIF measurements taken before the procedure were not significantly different between the two groups. Postprocedure STT measurements were significantly higher than the preprocedure measurements taken in both groups, and were stable within the physiological range. The STT increase in Group II was significantly greater than in Group I. Postprocedure PNIF values in both groups were significantly higher than the preprocedure values. Group II had showed a significantly higher rate of crusting. CONCLUSION: Higher magnitudes of energy elongate the healing process of the turbinate tissue and they affect more extensively the mucociliary clearance. Elongation of the healing process of the turbinate tissue may increase the rate of postprocedural complications such as turbinate surface crusting.
