Do turbinate reduction procedures restore epithelial integrity in patients with turbinate hypertrophy secondary to allergic rhinitis? A histopathological study

Purpose Consensus has not been reached regarding the optimal reduction procedure for inferior turbinate hypertrophy in allergic rhinitis and whether such procedures result in improvement in mucosal architecture. Methods Twenty-nine patients aged 18–45 years (mean 26.8 years), with allergic rhinitis and inferior turbinate hypertrophy not responsive to medical therapy who underwent endoscopic submucosal diathermy (ESMD) (14 patients) or endoscopic submucosal resection (ESMR) (15 patients) with intraoperative and 3–6 months postoperative inferior turbinate biopsies, were included in the study. Epithelial and mucosal architecture was compared between the two groups. Results Both groups showed a significant decrease in epithelial denudation ( p