A comparison of the long-term results of crushing and crushing with intrinsic stripping techniques in concha bullosa surgery

Background A prospective endoscopic and radiologic evaluation of long-term outcomes of crushing and crushing with intrinsic stripping, 2 minimally destructive techniques used for the surgical treatment of concha bullosa. Methods Forty-two patients who underwent concha bullosa surgery (a total of 55 conchae surgeries) were included in the study. The patients were allocated consecutively to either of the 2 groups: Group 1 (crushing, n = 28) and Group 2 (crushing with intrinsic stripping, n = 27). All procedures were performed endoscopically. The presurgical and 1-year postsurgical endoscopic nasal cavity images and computed tomography (CT) scans of all patients were recorded. Preoperative and postoperative measurements were compared using paired t test and Student t test. Results Gender and mean age of the 42 patients (55 conchae bullosa) were as follows: 23 males, mean age 25.6 (range, 18 to 41) years; 18 females, mean age 24.2 (range, 18 to 33) years. The patients were followed for 12.5 ± 1.3 months. Comparisons of both the grading of endoscopic images and the concha bullosa volumes measured in CT images before and after treatment showed significant postsurgical reductions in both groups; comparison between groups showed significant postsurgical decreases for Group 2 in both concha bullosa volumes and in endoscopic scoring (p < 0.05). Conclusion Crushing with intrinsic stripping is an effective and easy technique; when compared to crushing alone; this technique provides a significantly more decrease in middle concha volumes as demonstrated both by the CT and by endoscopic evaluations.