Abstract:Objective To investigate the efficacy and postoperative complications of the pocket technique for inferior turbinoplasty in patients with chronic hypertrophic rhinitis. Methods A total of 126 patients with chronic hypertrophic rhinitis were enrolled to Changsha Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. 65 of them underwent partial resection of the bone through the anterior inferior turbinate approach under nasal endoscopy combined with plasma ablation through mucosal incision, namely inferior turbinoplasty using the pocket technique(Group A). And 61 patients of them underwent external migration of the inferior turbinate fracture under nasal endoscopy combined with plasma radiofrequency ablation outside the mucosa (Group B). The two groups were compared for curative effects of treating chronic hypertrophic rhinitis. Results Before and after surgery, both groups were significantly reduced in the nasal resistance value, nasal endoscopic score, and VAS score (P<0.05); there was no statistically significant difference in nasal resistance values, nasal endoscopic scores, and VAS scores between the two groups before surgery and at 1 month postoperatively (P>0.05). At 1 year postoperatively, there was a significant difference (P<0.05). In Group A, there was no statistically significant difference in short-and long-term postoperative efficacy within the group (P>0.05). In Group B, there was a statistically significant difference in short- and long-term postoperative efficacy within the group (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in surgical bleeding between Group A and Group B (P>0.05), but there was a statistically significant difference in mucosal recovery time (P<0.05). Preoperative inferior turbinate mucociliary function did not differ significantly between the two groups (P>0.05), whereas postoperative inferior turbinate mucociliary function differed significantly between the two groups (P<0.05). Conclusions The pocket technique inferior turbinoplasty provides effective improvement of nasal obstruction in chronic hypertrophic rhinitis. It is satisfactory for therapeutic efficacy in short-term and long-term, which is worthy of clinical promotion.