Turbinate Reduction Procedures

The turbinates are curved ridges along the sidewall of the nose on each side which are involved in humidification and filtration of the air we breathe in. There are 3 sets of turbinates on each side of the nose. The most inferior set are responsible for nasal congestion and are termed the inferior turbinates. (Figure 1) There are various types of turbinate surgery available at the Southern California Sinus Institute. One option is a laser in-office option performed under local anesthesia. This procedure is termed radiofrequency ablation of the inferior turbinates or Coblation and helps to shrink the mucosa of the turbinates. Then there are more definitive procedures which are performed surgically under general anesthesia. The most commonly used procedure by Dr. Cohen is submucous resection of the turbinates (aka SMR Turbinates). During this procedure the bone expanding the inferior turbinates on the inside is shaved down allowing for significant long-term reduction in the size of the turbinates. As mentioned above this procedure is often combined with a deviated septum repair/septoplasty when necessary to significantly improve nasal obstruction. The combination of deviated septum repair and turbinate reduction surgery in Dr. Cohen’s hands leads to tremendous improvements by patients in regards to their chronic complaints of nasal obstruction, chronic mouth breathing, snoring, recurrent sinus infections, and even sinus headaches.