Rhino/Septoplasty without turbinate reduction?

Hello, and thank your for your question. In the 20 years I have been doing surgery on noses I have rarely seen empty nose syndrome-the few patients I have encountered with that problem had very aggressive removal of essentially all of their inferior turbinates (this was done by other doctorsNasal turbinates  provide many functions for the nose. They moisturize the air we breath. They filter out many particles from the air we breath. They also provide a sense of nasal resistance and provide information to the brain that is telling us how our breathing is. I think this is where taking out too much turbinate tissue can cause problems-even though our nose is wide open without the turbinate telling us that air is flowing through that can be sensation of resistance-this is the "empty nose syndrome". Where I practice in Oklahoma-we have a dry climate and we are very careful with surgery on turbinates. I typically do not remove any tissue from turbinates during a rhinoplasty and if they are blocking they can be treated successfully by repositioning them laterally. Every patient is treated for their individual goals with respect for their nasal anatomy. A frank discussion with your surgeon about what they are planning to do to your turbinates is essential.Good luck and I hope this helps you.Dr. Wayne

Unfortunately, much of the rhinoplasty surgery (functional and/or cosmetic) performed and taught in the 1970's and 1980's was destructive to normal anatomic structures....over resection of supporting and functional structures led to bad cosmetic results and poor functional outcomes.Modern day experts in rhinoplasty surgery who devote a significant amount of their practice to the discipline of nasal surgery generally adhere to 'constructive' principles with meticulous attention to anatomical detail...in this way, cosmetic results are much more predictable and shouldn't come at the expense of function.... in addition, the correction of many functional issues will be synergistic with aesthetic goals.... older methods of turbinate resection have been replaced by radiofrequency ablation and minimally invasive meansgood luck

 It is very important to removed a conservative on amount of tissue  with turbinate reduction, to avoid empty nose syndrome. The decision to perform turbinate surgery is made at the time of examination /consultation when the turbinates do not respond well to medical management, and they are significantly enlarged creating nasal obstruction in addition to a deviated nasal septum. Rhinoplasty is also one of the more difficult procedure to perform correctly in the entire field of plastic surgery, so choose your functional and cosmetic nasal surgeon  wisely based on experience