Compensatory Inferior Turbinate Surgery in Septorhinoplasty (CIT)

March 13, 2026 updated by: Zülküf Küçüktağ, Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi

Effect of Concomitant Compensatory Inferior Turbinate Surgery on Functional Outcomes After Septorhinoplasty: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Nasal obstruction is a common complaint among patients undergoing septorhinoplasty. In addition to septal deviation, compensatory inferior turbinate hypertrophy may contribute to impaired nasal airflow. For this reason, some surgeons routinely perform inferior turbinate reduction during septorhinoplasty. However, the necessity and functional benefit of this additional procedure remain controversial.

The aim of this randomized controlled study is to evaluate whether compensatory inferior turbinate surgery provides additional functional benefit when performed simultaneously with septorhinoplasty. Patients undergoing septorhinoplasty will be randomly assigned to either septorhinoplasty alone or septorhinoplasty combined with inferior turbinate surgery.

Functional outcomes will be assessed using both subjective and objective measures. Subjective nasal obstruction will be evaluated using the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) scale, and objective nasal airflow will be assessed using peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF). Patients will be followed for six months after surgery.

The results of this study are expected to clarify the role of compensatory inferior turbinate surgery in patients undergoing septorhinoplasty and provide evidence regarding whether routine turbinate intervention is necessary in this patient population.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Nasal obstruction is a common complaint among patients with nasal septal deviation and is one of the major indications for septorhinoplasty. Although correction of septal deviation often improves nasal airflow, some patients present with compensatory inferior turbinate hypertrophy that may contribute to persistent nasal obstruction. For this reason, inferior turbinate surgery is frequently performed during septorhinoplasty. However, the additional functional benefit of routine turbinate intervention in these patients remains controversial.

This prospective randomized controlled study aims to evaluate the effect of compensatory inferior turbinate surgery on functional outcomes in patients undergoing septorhinoplasty. Patients with nasal obstruction due to septal deviation who are scheduled for septorhinoplasty will be enrolled and randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: septorhinoplasty alone or septorhinoplasty combined with inferior turbinate surgery.

All surgical procedures will be performed using standard septorhinoplasty techniques. In the intervention group, inferior turbinate reduction will be performed during the same surgical session. Postoperative functional outcomes will be evaluated using both subjective and objective assessment tools. Subjective nasal obstruction will be assessed with the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) scale, and objective nasal airflow will be measured using peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF).

Patients will be followed for six months after surgery. Functional outcomes will be compared between the two groups to determine whether additional inferior turbinate surgery provides clinically meaningful improvement in nasal airway function when performed simultaneously with septorhinoplasty.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

80

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Ankara
      • Ankara, Ankara, Turkey (Türkiye), 06010
        • Etlik City Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients older than 18 years
  • Patients presenting with nasal obstruction and aesthetic concerns requiring septorhinoplasty
  • Presence of nasal septal deviation confirmed by anterior rhinoscopy, nasal endoscopy, or computed tomography
  • Presence of compensatory inferior turbinate hypertrophy in the contralateral nasal cavity
  • Patients willing to participate and able to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Previous nasal, septal, or turbinate surgery
  • Chronic rhinosinusitis with or without nasal polyps
  • Bilateral inferior turbinate hypertrophy
  • Absence of compensatory inferior turbinate hypertrophy
  • Patients requiring additional nasal procedures or grafting techniques beyond the standardized surgical protocol
  • Incomplete follow-up

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: SRP
Patients undergoing standard open functional septorhinoplasty without inferior turbinate intervention.
Procedure: Septorhinoplasty
Standard open functional septorhinoplasty was performed under general anesthesia, including septoplasty, dorsal profile alignment with transverse and lateral osteotomies, tipplasty, bilateral spreader graft placement, and columellar strut grafting. Silicone nasal splints were placed bilaterally and removed after 72 hours.
Experimental: SRP + CIT Surgery
Patients undergoing septorhinoplasty combined with compensatory inferior turbinate surgery.
Procedure: Septorhinoplasty
Standard open functional septorhinoplasty was performed under general anesthesia, including septoplasty, dorsal profile alignment with transverse and lateral osteotomies, tipplasty, bilateral spreader graft placement, and columellar strut grafting. Silicone nasal splints were placed bilaterally and removed after 72 hours.
Procedure: Inferior Turbinate Surgery
Inferior turbinate reduction was performed on the non-deviated side using submucosal radiofrequency ablation followed by turbinate lateralization to improve nasal airway patency.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) score
Time Frame: Preoperative baseline and 6 months after surgery
The Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) scale is a validated patient-reported questionnaire used to assess the severity of nasal obstruction. Scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more severe nasal obstruction.
Preoperative baseline and 6 months after surgery

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Peak Nasal Inspiratory Flow (PNIF)
Time Frame: Preoperative baseline and 6 months after surgery
Peak Nasal Inspiratory Flow (PNIF) is an objective measure of nasal airflow.
Preoperative baseline and 6 months after surgery

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Zülküf Küçüktağ, M.D., Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 1, 2023

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

September 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 9, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 13, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

March 18, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 18, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 13, 2026

Last Verified

March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • AEŞH-BADEK1-2025-327

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

No plan to share individual participant data.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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