A turbinectomy is a common surgery often used as a part of treatment for sleep apnea and other breathing-related issues. The procedure itself is simple, and the recovery is quick.
What Are Turbinates?
Inside your nose, there are three hard, bony shelves that are surrounded by glandular tissue that contains a lot of nerves and blood vessels. The purpose of turbinates is to regulate airflow through your nose, but in some cases, they can enlarge and actually block your nose.
The turbinates also help with mucus transport, keeping the nose moist, and warming air that enters the nose. When they are swollen or diseased, all of these functions are thrown off. Allergy, infection, and trauma are all common causes of turbinate growth.
What Is a Turbinectomy?
A turbinectomy removes all or portions of the enlarged turbinates to relieve your blocked nose and minimize snoring.
Chronic nasal congestion, snoring, and some side effects of sleep apnea can be corrected by a turbinectomy.
A different procedure, called turbinoplasty, reshapes the turbinates. A tool is placed in the nose to change the position of the turbinate. Some tissue may also be shaved off.
Is a Turbinectomy Painful?
A turbinectomy is done through your nostrils, so you won’t have any facial cuts or black eyes afterward. Your doctor will use a general or local anesthetic, finish the surgery in 15-30 minutes, and pack your nose with material to keep it from bleeding.
Your doctor might perform your turbinectomy by trimming or by diathermy. Trimming involves cutting the lower part of the turbinate away. If you have severely enlarged turbinates, they may remove some turbinate bone and cover the raw area with leftover tissue. Diathermy involves passing an electric current through a needle positioned on either the turbinate’s surface or inside its tissue.
How Long Is the Recovery for a Turbinectomy?
After your turbinectomy, you should be cleared to go home that same day unless you have packing in your nose that’s non-dissolvable. If this is the case, you might need to stay the night so your doctor can remove the packing the next day.
If you catch a cold during your turbinectomy recovery, you could get an infection. If possible, stay home from work and away from large groups of people for two weeks. In some cases, exercising helps speed up the turbinectomy recovery process. Ask your doctor about exercising while you recover.
As with any minor surgery, possible complications include:
- Discomfort and pain
- Bleeding
- Infection of the wound
- Nasal discharge
- Atrophic rhinitis
- Infection of your bloodstream
- Damaged tear duct
As you recover at home, you can place a drip pad underneath your nose to catch mucus and blood. Change the pad when it bleeds through or every hour for 24 hours after your surgery. It is normal to have swelling around your nose, top lip, cheeks, or eyes. You might be a little stuffed up and sore, but these symptoms should only last for a few days after surgery.
If the tip of your nose, upper lip, or gums are numb, you should have feeling back after a few weeks or a few months. You might not have a strong sense of smell for a few months, but it should return to normal. All things considered, you will feel completely recovered after a month or two.
Schedule follow-up appointments with your healthcare provider for a few months after your turbinectomy procedure. They will make sure that you’re healing well and that there are no complications with your recovery.