Vol. 7, Issue 12 (2018)

Introduction and Background: A typical variant of the nasal cavity is the concha bullosa (CB), which is a pneumatized middle turbinate. Patients having radiological and clinical evaluation for nasal problems will be included in this hospital-based study to determine the prevalence, laterality, and correlation between CB and DNS.

Materials and Methods: A hospital's staff of Department of ENT, Sri Lakshmi Narayana Institute of Medical Sciences Villianur, Puducherry, India performed this retrospective cross-sectional investigation between December 2017 to November 2018. Scans of the paranasal sinuses and clinical examinations were performed on 200 patients who had nasal blockage and associated symptoms. Documentation included the presence, laterality, and classification of CB as lamellar, bulbous, or widespread. Additionally, the DNS's intensity and directionality were evaluated. The link between CB and DNS was determined using statistical analysis utilizing chi-square tests and Pearson correlation, with a significance threshold of p<0.05.

Results: While 148 (or 74% of the total) patients had DNS, 112 (or 56% of the total) had CB. The substantial relationship (p<0.001) was indicated by the fact that 85% (95/112) of patients with CB also had DNS. A compensating link may have been at play in the 78% (74/95) of patients whose DNS had a lateral deviation to the opposite side of their CB, as there was a statistically significant correlation between the two. Bulbous CB was the most prevalent kind of CB found (52%), followed by widespread (18%) and lamellar (30%). Unilateral CB was associated with less severe DNS than bilateral CB (p=0.003).

Conclusion: This study provides more evidence that concha bullosa (CB) is commonly found on the side of the nose opposite the deviated septum, confirming the significant relationship between the two. As a compensating mechanism, the results lend credence to the idea that CB might be involved in nasal septal deviation. In order to improve patient outcomes after functional and cosmetic nose surgeries, it is essential to understand this link during preoperative planning.