The impact of bilateral endoscopic inferior turbinoplasty with or without adenoidectomy on the quality of life of children: a retrospective case series study

BACKGROUND: Inferior turbinoplasty (IT) and adenoidectomy (Ad) are frequently resorted to in children with chronic rhinitis (CR) refractory to medical therapy. The aim of this study is to document the long-term improvement in quality of life (QOL) in children with CR following endoscopic IT with or without Ad. METHODS: A retrospective case series study was conducted. We searched a prospectively kept surgical database for children ≤18 years old who had CR who underwent endoscopic IT with or without Ad between 2009 and 2016 at a tertiary care children’s center. Patients with sinonasal pathologies other than CR, had craniofacial syndromes or dysmorphism and had other sinonasal procedures or trauma were excluded. Collected data included demographics, secondary diagnoses, duration of follow-up, and complications of procedures. The Glasgow Children’s Benefit Inventory (GCBI) was administered by phone to assess QOL improvement. RESULTS: One hundred sixty-five eligible subjects were identified. Eighty-nine subjects met the inclusion criteria. Data was collected for the 60 subjects that were reached. Forty-two patients had IT only while 18 had IT and Ad. The mean age was 10.7 ± 2.7 years, with 31 males and 29 females. The median duration of follow-up (25th, 75th percentile) was 38.1 months (24.6, 55.8). The median GCBI score (25th, 75th percentile) was 22.9 (6.3, 39.6) revealing an overall positive benefit in all domains. There was only one complication. CONCLUSIONS: This study validates prior findings regarding improvement of QOL and safety of IT with or without Ad for children with CR and indicates it is maintained in the long term.