Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a prevalent inflammatory condition often requiring functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) when medical management fails. The role of the partial middle turbinate resection in functional endoscopic sinus surgery is controversial. This study compares outcomes of FESS with and without partial middle
turbinectomy in CRS patients.
Materials and Methods: A prospective comparative study was conducted in the Department of ENT, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Adilabad, Telangana, India from January 2023 and July 2024 for 18 months. The analysis of data was done on 100 patients diagnosed with chronic rhinosinusitis for 3 months and were randomized into two groups: Group A (FESS with partial middle turbinectomy, n=50) and Group B (FESS without partial middle turbinectomy n=50). Outcomes were assessed using Lund-MacKay endoscopic scores and clinical symptoms at 1st week, 6th weeks, and 3rd months post-operatively.
Results: The most common age group affected was 31 to 40 years, and the male patients outnumbered the female patients. The nasal discharge was found to be the most common symptom encountered by the patients in the study (92% in group A, 88% in group B). The study showed that the patients in Group A had significantly improved the various parameters of the Lund MacKay score parameters, such as oedema, discharge, scarring, synechiae and crusting in the 6th week and 3rd month post-operative period than Group B.
Conclusion: Partial middle turbinate resection during FESS enhances postoperative outcomes in CRS, reducing complications and symptoms. The study also recommends further studies with a large sample size to confirm the findings.
Keywords: Chronic rhinosinusitis, Functional endoscopic sinus surgery, Partial middle turbinectomy, Lund-mackay score, Nasal discharge.
