What Is Submucosal Resection Surgery?
Turbinate reduction surgery by Submucosal Resection is performed by making an incision in the anterior part of the inferior turbinate and elevating a suction tool, commonly known as a microdebrider, along the side of the mucosa to ‘liposuction’ out vascular tissue and/or bone from the inferior turbinate.
Submucosal Resection is known as a function-preserving technique as the mucosa is preserved, but there is still a risk of ENS symptoms due to volume deficiency. This procedure is commonly performed with anesthesia and the turbinates are usually outfractured after the resection is completed.
Click HERE for a good video of the procedure.
What Are Well-Known Side-Effects of Submucosal Resection?
Submucosal Resection Side-Effects listed by sites and surgeons are generally short-term and simple, such as bleeding and crusting during healing. Some surgeons will warn you about atrophic rhinitis, “dry nose” and resulting infections.
Important considerations generally not mentioned by surgeons are as follows:
“Dry nose” isn’t the average dry nose that you may have already experienced pre-surgery. The dryness that could follow nasal surgery means the nasal cavity is completely devoid of mucous, and is both irritating and painful.
Atrophic Rhinitis is actually “Secondary Atrophic Rhinitis“. This is not the unusual nose disease prevalent in 3rd world countries, but rather a direct effect of a surgery that removed too much functional tissue. Patients with Secondary Atrophic Rhinitis experience bleeding, crusting, burning upon inspiration, nerve pain.
Suffocation is a side-effect that is rarely listed either online, or in any medical brochures about this procedure. Even in a Submucosal Resection, if too much tissue is removed, the nose is unable to properly direct the airflow through the nasal cavity. This leaves the patient constantly suffocating, forced to mouth breathe
Forum member Melatonin Mike: I had a Submucosal Resection with Outfracture done after many years of battling chronic sinusitis by an excellent surgeon. Unfortunately, I was a rare case that did not recover properly. This procedure left me much worse off than I had been before, and I must constantly paint my nose with oils and emollients to prevent it from burning and bleeding. I also must use humidifiers all of the time. I highly recommend that you exhaust all options before agreeing to this procedure.
This article cannot be considered as medical adivce and the author does not take any responsibility of the content. Furthermore, this article does not claim to fulfill scientific requirements and should be seen as an ordinary person’s opinion.