Middle turbinate medialization and preservation in endoscopic sinus surgery.

OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS Lateral synechia formation between the middle turbinate (MT) and the lateral nasal wall is the most common complication of endoscopic sinus surgery. In an attempt to prevent this complication, a simple technique to preserve and medialize the MT was studied. METHODS Five hundred patients underwent endoscopic sinus surgery with MT medialization and preservation. The caudal end of the MT and the opposing septal mucosa were abraded with a microdebrider for controlled synechia formation in an attempt to avoid lateralization of the MT. Follow-up ranged from 6 to 18 months, with a mean follow-up of 10 months. RESULTS Ninety-three percent of the patients had successful MT medialization with a well-defined synechia between the septum and the MT. CONCLUSIONS MT medialization with a microdebrider is simple, is reliable, and should be considered an alternative to turbinate resection or to other turbinate medialization techniques.