What causes inferior turbinate swelling?
The inferior turbinate tissue is composed of rich groups of blood vessels, and can become swollen due to a variety of factors including allergies, colds and upper respiratory infections, inflammation, from exposure to certain medications, pregnancy, or for unknown reasons.
How do you reduce inferior turbinate swelling?
If your turbinates are swollen, your doctor may prescribe medication (e.g., nasal corticosteroid and nasal antihistamine sprays) to reduce the swelling. If enlarged inferior turbinates are causing your nasal obstruction, surgery may be the recommended treatment.
What is the function of the inferior meatus?
The inferior nasal meatus is the largest of the spaces in the nasal cavity that lies beneath the inferior nasal concha and the lateral nasal wall. It is responsible for the majority of airflow direction, humidification, heating and filtering of air inhaled through the nose.
Is concha bullosa serious?
Most of the time, concha bullosa symptoms are not severe enough to require treatment. However, if treatment is necessary, surgery is the only option to eliminate the air pocket.
Do swollen turbinates go away?
In most cases, the turbinates will return to their normal size after recovery. However, in some instances such as chronic sinusitis, the enlargement may be permanent.
Can swollen turbinates cause headaches?
If one or both of your upper turbinates are swollen (or being pushed on by the middle wall of the nose), you may experience a nasal headache – pressure beneath your eyes and pain in, around, or above your eyes. Some people even get migraine headaches from crowding in the nose.
Is turbinate surgery painful?
Turbinates: normal and abnormal comparison
It is an office procedure, performed under local anesthesia, and it takes about 10 minutes. Usually there’s no pain on the recovery process, no change on the physical aspect and no long-term side effects, such as loss on olfactory perception.
What opens in inferior meatus?
The inferior meatus is below and lateral to the inferior nasal concha; the nasolacrimal duct opens into this meatus under cover of the anterior part of the inferior concha.
What drains into the inferior nasal meatus?
The nasolacrimal duct drains into the inferior meatus, and Woodruff plexus is located posteriorly.
How do you fix a concha bullosa?
The definitive treatment of concha bullosa is surgical. Although asymptomatic concha bullosa does not require treatment, concha bullosa cases that cause obstruction of the ostiomeatal complex and disease in the paranasal sinuses and those that cause only airway obstruction are treated by performing ESS.
Can concha bullosa cause headaches?
A concha bullosa is a common anatomic variant that represents an aerated turbinate, usually the middle turbinate. It is usually asymptomatic. When extensively pneumatized, a large concha bullosa may cause significant problems, including headache, nasal obstruction, and blockage of sinus drainage.
How do you tell if your turbinates are swollen?
The most common symptoms of turbinate hypertrophy include:
- Difficulty breathing.
- Congestion in alternating sides of the nose.
- Nasal stuffiness.
- Nasal blockage.
- Nasal congestion while lying down.
- Noisy breathing or breathing through the mouth during sleep.
- Increased nasal drainage.
Should turbinates be removed?
Turbinate reduction improves airflow in people with chronic nasal obstruction. Your surgeon reduces the size of your turbinates (small, bony structures inside of your nose) by removing excess tissue. Turbinate reduction is usually recommended if nonsurgical treatments don’t solve the issue.
Is turbinate surgery safe?
While turbinate surgery is generally safe, there are a few risks. The main risk is removing too much tissue, which means the turbinates can’t warm and humidify the air you breathe. The result is a permanently dry, crusty nose that can be painful. This risk is less likely with the powered turbinoplasty method.
What is the function of a meatus?
External ear
| Parts | Auricle, external acoustic meatus |
|---|---|
| Innervation | Auriculotemporal branch of the mandibular nerve, lesser occipital, great auricular nerve, auricular branch of the vagus nerve, branches of the facial nerve |
| Function | Conducts sound to the inner ear |
How many meatus are there?
three
Gross anatomy
There are three main nasal meatuses: superior meatus. middle meatus. inferior meatus.
Is the nasal cavity connected to the brain?
This hidden side entrance is through the so-called regio olfactoria (olfactory region) on the roof of the nose where the cribriform plate of the ethmoid bone and cell layers of the nasal mucosa separate the nasal cavity (outside world) from the brain (cerebrospinal fluid).
What happens if concha bullosa is left untreated?
Untreated concha bullosa can lead to repeat sinus infections. Other complications include symptoms like headaches, sinus drainage, stuffiness, sore throat from post nasal drip and sinus pain and pressure. Chronic sinus infections or chronic sinusitis may develop.
What does concha bullosa feel like?
The larger a concha bullosa grows, the more pain and discomfort you’re likely to feel. The most common symptoms include: pressure or pain around your sinuses and the area around your eyes. feeling like you can’t get enough air in or out of your nose.
How long is concha bullosa surgery?
This causes scar tissue to form, shrinking the turbinate. The procedure takes around 12-20 minutes and can be performed under local anesthesia. Patients can go home after the surgery and return to their normal activities. Pain and swelling associated with the procedure may be present, but this resolves in a few days.
How painful is turbinate reduction?
How painful is a Turbinoplasty?
How painful is turbinate reduction? People who have turbinate reduction may experience discomfort for a few days, but it’s usually minimal. If your turbinate reduction was performed in combination with other procedures, you might have more discomfort.
Can you live without turbinates?
A lack of turbinate tissue may cause the nasal cavity to become very dry and crusty. In some cases, a reduced turbinate may regrow, requiring a repeat surgery to reduce their size. In most cases, turbinate reductions are successful at opening the airways and making breathing easier.
Why is it called a meatus?
The Latin word meatus (with a long a) originally meant ‘path’ or ‘passage’, and came from a verb meare meaning ‘pass’ or ‘traverse’.
What is an example of meatus?
Meatus – A tube-like channel that extends within the bone, which may provide passage and protection to nerves, vessels, and even sound. Examples include external acoustic meatus and internal auditory meatus. Neck – The segment between the head and the shaft of a bone.