The nasal turbinates are small structures within your nose which clean and humidify the air inhaled through your nostrils before it reaches the nose. When the turbinates become inflamed, such as when you have a cold, it can cause a stuffy nose, and difficulty breathing through one or both sides of your nose. The other symptoms of turbinate hypertrophy – the clinical name for inflamed turbinates – include difficulty breathing at night, snoring, and chronic nosebleeds. This condition may also contribute to chronic sinus infections.
Although many cases of turbinate hypertrophy can be attributed to the common cold or seasonal allergies, there are other potential causes. Treatment of this condition involves identifying and treating the underlying issue. Turbinate hypertrophy may be situational, or it may be chronic, with no apparent underlying condition. Nasal steroids, antihistamines, or decongestants may help to reduce inflammation of the turbinates and therefore improve nasal breathing. When the turbinates remain inflamed and continue to block breathing despite medications or other treatment, surgery may be required.
Turbinate reduction surgery, also known as turbinoplasty, involves the trimming away of excess turbinate tissue. This procedure is usually performed with sedation or general anesthesia, and requires a recovery period of about a week. Through a small incision located inside the nose, the doctor removes some of the turbinate tissue. The turbinates are not removed entirely, and much of the tissue is left intact to continue filtering and humidifying the air as it passes through on its way to the lungs.
