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Anatomical variations of the lateral nasal wall: The secondary and accessory middle turbinates
Author(s) -
ElShazly A.E.,
Poirrier AnneLise,
Cabay J.,
Lefebvre P.P.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
clinical anatomy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.667
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1098-2353
pISSN - 0897-3806
DOI - 10.1002/ca.21208
Subject(s) - medicine , turbinates , rhinology , nose , incidence (geometry) , surgery , refractory (planetary science) , otorhinolaryngology , physics , astrobiology , optics
The aim of the current anatomical and clinical study was to audit our cases of patients who presented with secondary and/or accessory middle turbinates during a two‐year period. We investigated the incidence and the clinical impact of these variations. Twenty‐eight patients, 19 males and 9 females with a mean age of 41.5 years, representing different ethnic origins, were diagnosed with double middle turbinates based on endoscopic examination. Of those, 92.8% had a main symptom of refractory frontal headache. A secondary nasal symptom was sensation of blocked nose. Patients who underwent endoscopic surgery ( n = 13) for reduction of the extra turbinate, reported significant symptom scores improvement ( P < 0.0001) of frontal headache and blocked nose, from means of 9.07 ± 0.26 and 8.57 ± 1.39 to 1 ± 0.31, and 1.42 ± 0.35, respectively. Our results indicate that double middle turbinates may be encountered in rhinology practice (2%). Clinically they may present with refractory headache and blocked nose. Endoscopic surgical approach seems to be an effective way of improving the symptoms. Clin. Anat. 25:340–346, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.