Nasal Concha Surgery

The nasal conchae resemble protrusions on either side of the nasal septum, in each nostril. These protrusions extend along the entire length of the nostril, close to the opening, and their role is to “direct” the air entering the nose in the required path, so that it flows properly, warms up as needed, with contaminants and bacteria and the like filtered out.

There are instances in which the nasal conchae are large and become swollen. In such instances, difficulties in the breathing process can develop, necessitating treatment. If no conservative treatment helps, nasal concha surgery will be performed, in which they will be removed to some degree or another.

Nasal concha surgery is an operation that facilitates better air flow to the nose, but will only be performed if the breathing difficulties are very severe. Although the conchae are very small, their role in the process of breathing is important. The option of removing them will therefore be considered with great gravity before this is carried out.

Nasal concha surgery may include procedures for tissue cautery (which can sometimes cause it to shrink), removal of a certain part of the concha or complete removal of a concha or of several conchae. In all events, with the exception of rare instances, not all the nasal conchae will be removed, in order to enable air flow that is as normal as possible into the nostrils, and to prevent the development of other problems connected to breathing.

General information about the nasal conchae

Nasal concha surgery is usually performed under general anesthesia. This operation does not take a long time, but it should be noted that it is sometimes performed in the framework of a larger operation to correct the structure of the nasal septum, in which case the entire procedure will be much longer. Nasal septum correction and concha surgery are both performed for the same objective – to improve air flow to the nose and to make the breathing process easier.

Before the operation is performed, conservative treatments will be attempted, as mentioned above, such as the use of antihistamines, sprays that contain steroids and saline nasal rinse, which on occasion could reduce the volume of the conchae. If it turns out that none of these treatments helps to improve the condition, or in instances where the breathing difficulties are very severe, an operation will be decided upon.

Preparation for nasal concha surgery

Since the operation is performed under general anesthesia, you will be asked to fast for a several hours beforehand. In order for the operation to be performed under the best possible conditions, it is also necessary to stop smoking from several days before the surgical procedure. You may be asked to use a spray to treat nasal congestion before the operation, in order to leave the nostrils as clear as possible. You will generally also undergo a general ear-nose-and-throat examination, to assess the structure of the nose and the condition of the nasal cavity.

Course of action

Already before the operation, the physician will decide upon the method by which he will “treat” the conchae – a decision that will be supported and validated as soon as he assesses the treated area from close up. As mentioned above, the conchae can be cauterized or removed, and the removal can focus on the conchal tissue only, or also the on bony part – the conchal bone.

Apart from this, since there are between three and four conchae on each side of the nasal septum, the surgeon will decide how many conchae to remove. This decision will be made in accordance with the size of the conchae, the extent to which they are interfering with breathing, and the severity of the symptoms and difficulties that you are dealing with.

Any decision made by the physician should significantly reduce the size of the conchae, effecting freer passage of air through the nostrils. If septal correction is performed on the same occasion (if this is necessary, of course), breathing is expected to be drastically improved on conclusion of the process of recovering from the operation.

After the surgical procedures are completed, special cylindrically-shaped bandages (“tampons”) will be placed in the nostrils, to allow the operated region to heal well, and allow the tissues to settle in their new locations. These “tampons” will remain in the nostrils for a few days.
About a week after the operation, you will be able to resume regular, but not strenuous, activity. You will be asked to avoid exposure to sunlight and consumption of hot foods and drinks for two weeks.

side effects

Apart from the side effects characteristic of general anesthesia, bleeding and discharge from the nostrils could occur. This is expected to stop after a few days. Infection at the surgical site is also possible, but is considered to be quite rare for this type of operation.

A more significant side effect characteristic of nasal concha surgery is the appearance of an effect called “empty nose syndrome”, a condition in which the nose tissues dry out, the sensation of air passage through the nose is impaired or disappears, the sense of smell is impaired, as is also the ability to speak. The empty nose syndrome occurs due excessively extensive removal of nasal conchae, which is the reason that usually only some of the conchae are removed, not all of them. Over the years, physicians have accumulated much experience with such operations, which helps them to perform it in a more accurate manner and to minimize the chance for the occurrence of this syndrome.