Turbinate resection or reduction: Your doctor uses tools to remove some or all of the concha bullosa. This surgery usually requires general anesthesia. Your doctor may also recommend septoplasty to correct a deviated septum to help you breathe more easily.
Full Answer
What are the treatments for concha bullosa?
Crushing is a commonly used method to treat concha bullosa. 6 This is done under general anesthesia with an endoscope. Your physician will inject your concha with epinephrine to vasoconstrict, or make the blood vessels smaller. 7 This will help to limit any inflammation and reduce bleeding.
How do you treat turbinate hypertrophy?
One way to help treat symptoms of turbinate hypertrophy is to limit your exposure to environmental allergens. Here are some tips to help you achieve that: Make every effort to remove excess dust and pet dander from the home. This includes vacuuming carpets, pillows, drapes, and furniture to remove dust.
What is a turbinate resection for a concha bullosa?
Turbinate resection is the surgical removal of part of the concha or the complete removal of the concha. This allows for improved airflow and removes the concha bullosa.
What tests are done to diagnose concha bullosa?
The most common imaging test done for concha bullosa is a CT scan. This test allows your doctor to see a cross-section of your nose and the conchae structures so that they can spot any air pockets. The pockets usually appear as black spots where the conchae normally appear gray.
How is turbinate hypertrophy treated?
Nasal steroids, nasal antihistamines and decongestants can be used to treat inferior turbinate hypertrophy. These medications help to reduce the swelling and improve nasal breathing. If you do not respond to medications, it may be necessary to perform a simple surgery to reduce the size of your inferior turbinates.
How do you treat concha bullosa?
The definitive treatment of concha bullosa is surgical. Although asymptomatic concha bullosa does not require treatment, concha bullosa cases that cause obstruction of the ostiomeatal complex and disease in the paranasal sinuses and those that cause only airway obstruction are treated by performing ESS.
How do you treat swollen turbinates without surgery?
How can you care for yourself at home?Take your medicines or use nasal sprays exactly as prescribed. ... Ask your doctor about cough medicines and decongestants, including nasal sprays. ... Use a vaporizer or humidifier to add moisture to your bedroom. ... Use saline (saltwater) nasal washes to help keep your nasal passages open.More items...
Is turbinate hypertrophy curable?
Colds and Infections – Cold or infection may cause congestion due to enlarged turbinates. In most cases, the turbinates will return to their normal size after recovery. However, in some instances such as chronic sinusitis, the enlargement may be permanent.
Is turbinate surgery painful?
The surgery may be done through a lighted camera (endoscope) that is placed into the nose. You may have general anesthesia or local anesthesia with sedation, so you are asleep and pain-free during surgery.
What is Conchoplasty surgery?
Conchoplasty is a surgical procedure consisting in reducing the size of nasal turbinate. The lower nasal turbinate is an even structure located in the nasal cavity. Its hypertrophy can lead to recurrent infections, chronic rhinitis, difficulties in breathing through the nose, loss of smell on one or both sides.
Does Flonase shrink turbinates?
We recommend every patient start a trial of a nasal steroid spray such as Flonase, Nasonex, Nasacort, or Rhinocort. This may shrink the turbinate and also control nasal allergies.
Can you reduce turbinates without surgery?
Your pharmacist can recommend a steroid nasal spray. Your doctor can prescribe steroid tablets to reduce the size of your turbinates. They are only used in the short-term (1 to 3 weeks) as longer term use is more likely to cause side effects. Your enlarged turbinates may be due to allergies.
What is Turbinoplasty surgery?
Turbinoplasty and turbinectomy are nose surgeries. They can make it easier for you to breathe. You may have one of these surgeries if the turbinates in your nose are too large and block the airways in your nose. You may have a drip pad under your nose to collect mucus and blood. Change it only when it bleeds through.
What are the side effects of turbinate surgery?
Side effects for more invasive turbinate reduction procedures involving removal of bone or tissue are more likely and can be more severe....Possible side effects include:pain.bleeding.swelling.irritation.dryness of the nasal cavities.infection.
What is the success rate of turbinate reduction surgery?
The overall success rate for turbinate reduction is about 82%. While it's possible for the tissue around your turbinates to grow back eventually, many people find the results of turbinate reduction satisfactory.
Is turbinate reduction surgery worth it?
The pros of a turbinate reduction is ease of breathing resulting in better sleep, fewer headaches, and clear sinuses. For some patients it can be a life changer, allowing them to have more energy during the day without the constant stuffiness and nasal drip that can result from turbinate hypertrophy.
What causes turbinate hypertrophy?
Turbinate hypertrophy is typically caused when the lining of the skin covering the turbinate bone becomes enlarged and swollen. This can be an acute (one time) or chronic (ongoing) problem, and can be caused by many conditions including: Upper respiratory infection, or the common cold. Acute sinus infection. Allergic rhinitis.
What is the procedure to remove a deviated septum called?
The most common associated procedure is called a septoplasty to address a deviated septum. Complications from turbinate surgery are rare but can include:
Does turbinate surgery cause bruising?
This procedure is usually performed through the nostrils and does not result in bruising or an outward sign of surgery. The goal of surgery is to decrease the size of the turbinate to improve airflow through the nose while preserving the function of the turbinate.
Can nasal steroid sprays be used for turbinate hypertrophy?
Nasal steroid sprays. Allergy immunotherapy. For an acute case of turbinate hypertrophy, nasal decongestant sprays (such as Oxymetazoline) should only be used for a very brief period. This is not an appropriate treatment for chronic turbinate hypertrophy.
What is the purpose of concha bullosa?
They help control the airflow into your nose. They also clean and warm air that you’ve inhaled so that it’s ready to go to your lungs for respiration. Respiration is the process of breathing in and out. Concha bullosa happens when one of the conchae, or turbinates, inside your nose becomes filled with a pocket of air.
What is the most common imaging test for concha bullosa?
Then they can help treat it. The most common imaging test done for concha bullosa is a CT scan.
What is the lowest conchae in the nose?
The inferior turbinates, which are the lowest conchae in your nose. They help moisturize and warm up inhaled air before it goes into your lungs. You may notice some pain or discomfort around your sinuses when the middle turbinates get filled with an air pocket.
How do you know if you have concha bullosa?
The most common symptoms include: pressure or pain around your sinuses and the area around your eyes. feeling like you can’t get enough air in or out of your nose. feeling that something is in the way inside your nostrils. The symptoms of concha bullosa can feel like those of sinusitis or a sinus infection.
What does a concha bullosa look like?
Many concha bullosa often look like large round circles or as large pockets extending off other parts inside your nose. Your doctor may also use a MRI test to look for concha bullosa. MRI images show the three-dimensional structure of your nose and the conchae.
Where are the conchae in the nose?
There are three pairs of conchae in your nose on either side of the septum. Your septum is the structure that divides your nose in half. The superior turbinates, which are the highest conchae in your nose, near your brain. These protect the olfactory bulb, the part of your brain that helps you smell.
Can concha bullosa cause sinus pain?
These conditions can also make you feel like you can’t breathe out of your nose very well. However, concha bullosa typically doesn’t cause ear and jaw pain, mucus drainage, or other associated symptoms.
What is used to squeeze the concha bullosa?
If sinus surgery is also needed, the sinuses will be operated on first. Once the sinus surgery is complete, forceps will be used to squeeze the concha bullosa from top to bottom and then squeezed toward the back to minimize damage to the turbinate.
How to remove concha bullosa air pocket?
Most of the time, concha bullosa symptoms are not severe enough to require treatment. However, if treatment is necessary, surgery is the only option to eliminate the air pocket. The three surgical methods include crushing, resection, and turbinoplasty.
How long does concha bullosa pain last?
The larger the volume, the more likely you will be to have symptoms and the more severe the symptoms will be. Symptoms may include: 4 . Pain around the eyes that may last from several hours to several days.
What is the conchae on the nose?
The conchae are shell-shaped bony structures on the opposite side of your nasal septum, which separates the left and right sides of your nose. Many tiny blood vessels within a mucous membrane cover the conchae. The lowest concha, or inferior concha, is an independent bony structure, while the middle and upper (superior) ...
Can concha bullosa cause sinus problems?
Concha bullosa is a very common anatomical deviation that does not always result in you having sinus problems. 3 However, enlarged turbinates and concha bullosa may cause a blockage which can prevent your sinuses from draining properly. Sinuses without adequate drainage can result in frequent sinus infections.
How to reduce turbinates?
In cases that do not improve with medication, procedures may be necessary to remove tissue from the turbinates. Dr. Bhandarkar performs a procedure called “submucous resection” to reduce the size of the inferior turbinate. In this procedure, an endoscope is utilized to assist with precise removal of bone and expanded tissue from the inside of the turbinate, therefore maximally preserving the functional lining of the nose.
Why is the middle turbinate enlarged?
The middle turbinate may be enlarged due to a concha bullosa, or air-filled turbinate. This is a congenital anatomic variant, meaning you are born with it. Nevertheless, a concha bullosa (pictured) can be quite large and occupy a significant amount of space in the nose. Because of its location intimately associated with sinus drainage pathways, sinusitis may be a consequence of or be worsened by a concha bullosa. Endoscopic surgery is an effective way to precisely remove the concha bullosa (video).
What are the turbinates in the nasal cavity?
Nasal turbinates are normal outgrowths of the nasal sidewall bone that are covered in nasal cavity mucous membrane. This lining has several functions, including humidification of the air we breathe, regulation of airflow, clearance of foreign particles, and normal mucus flow. The nasal cavity generally contains 3 sets of turbinates on each side – the superior, middle, and inferior turbinates. Approximately 50% of nasal airflow passes between the middle and inferior turbinates. Therefore, abnormal enlargement of these two structures can be a culprit cause of nasal obstruction.
Appointment and Examination
By making an appointment with our team, you can start your process and create an appointment for the examination.
Day of Surgery
In hospitals where we trust the quality of service, the necessary tests and controls are carried out by the specialists after your hospitalization, and your preparations for the rhinoplasty surgery are completed.
Healing Process
You can be discharged after being hospitalized for 1 night after nose surgery, and you can apply the treatment methods recommended by your doctor during the healing process.