Comparison of results of different surgical modalities for middle turbinate in endoscopic sinus surgery

Objective To investigate the difference of nasal airway resistance score and subjective symptom score between preservation and partial resection of middle turbinate in endoscopic sinus surgery. Methods A total of 154 patients with chronic sinusitis of type Ⅱ or higher who were admitted to our ENT from January 2016 to October 2017 were randomly divided into study group and control group with 77 cases in each group. The patients in the control group received preservation of middle turbinate in the endoscopic sinus surgery, while the patients in the study group received partial resection of the middle turbinate. The curative efficacy, postoperative clean-up time, and the incidence of adhesion were compared between the two groups. The differences in nasal airway resistance (NAR) score by the active anterior rhinomanometry and subjective symptom score by visual analogue scale test (VAS) between the two groups were analyzed before and after the treatment. Results The total remission cases in the study group and control group were 73 cases (94.81%) and 63 cases (81.82%), respectively, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The postoperative clean-up time and incidence of adhesion in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group, the difference was statistically significant (all P<0.05). There was no difference in NAR scores before the treatment between the two groups(P>0.05). After the treatment, the NAR scores in both groups decreased significantly, especially in the study group, the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). There was no difference in VAS scores between the two groups before surgery (P>0.05); However, the scores decreased in both two groups after surgery, especially in the study group, the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion Different surgical modalities for middle turbinate in endoscopic sinus surgery can affect NAR and VAS scores in endoscopic sinusitis patients. Rational removal of middle turbinate can effectively reduce the cleaning time and the incidence of nasal mucosal adhesion, and the clinical effect is better.