Septoplasty in conjunction with cosmetic rhinoplasty.

This article discusses the intimate relationship that the form of the nasal septum and the esthetics of the nose have with one another and that alterations of either can significantly affect the other. Surgeons from several specialties perform surgical alterations of the external and internal nose; however, many of the advancements have been kept within the literature of their respective fields. It would be wise for rhinoplasty surgeons to have solid understanding of the form and function of the nose so that they may bridge the gaps of their specialty and provide the best possible care for their patients.

Long-term results of inferior turbinate hypertrophy with radiofrequency treatment: a new standard of care?

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to report the long-term efficacy of radiofrequency volumetric tissue reduction (RFVTR) and to compare this with other accepted surgical treatments of inferior turbinate hypertrophy. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective, 2-year follow-up of 19 patients originally enrolled in a prospective, randomized, single blinded, placebo controlled trial for treatment of inferior turbinate hypertrophy with RFVTR. Patients evaluated their severity of obstruction, frequency of obstruction, and overall ability to breathe by way of a 10 cm visual analogue scale. RESULTS: RFVTR for inferior turbinate hypertrophy showed continued benefit at 2 years posttreatment, with no indication of increasing symptomatology. The benefit demonstrated in frequency of obstruction, severity of obstruction, and overall ability to breathe (P < .05) was maintained at 2 years. No complications occurred. Review of the literature shows lower short- and long-term complications for RFVTR compared with other surgical methods CONCLUSION: RFVTR is effective in treating inferior turbinate hypertrophy with sustained benefit at 2 years follow-up while resulting in fewer complications than other surgical methods. SIGNIFICANCE: RFVTR is a relatively new procedure, and therefore there are few long-term evaluations of its effectiveness; this is the first prospective study to document successful outcomes at 2 years follow-up.

Radiofrequency treatment of turbinate hypertrophy: a randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

OBJECTIVES: We sought to evaluate the short-term efficacy of radiofrequency volumetric tissue reduction (RFVTR) in treating nasal obstruction in subjects with inferior turbinate hypertrophy. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We conducted a prospective, randomized, single-blinded, placebo-controlled trial with crossover option, involving 32 patients and performed in a clinical office setting at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center. RESULTS: The outcomes were measured using 10-cm visual analog scales (VASs) before treatment and at 8 weeks and 6 months posttreatment. Improvement was shown in frequency of obstruction, severity of obstruction, and overall ability to breathe for both the placebo and RFVTR treatment arms at 8 weeks (P < 0.05). The amount of improvement, however, was significantly better in the treatment arm compared with placebo for the severity of obstruction and overall ability-to-breathe categories. At 6 months, the mean improvement scores were significantly better than the pretreatment scores for all 3 categories. CONCLUSIONS: RFVTR is an effective alternative for the treatment of patients with nasal obstruction due to inferior turbinate hypertrophy. SIGNIFICANCE: This is the first randomized trial that demonstrates that RFVTR is significantly better than placebo in treating nasal obstruction due to inferior turbinate hypertrophy.