Congenital inferior turbinate hypertrophy: An unusual cause of neonatal nasal obstruction

Summary 

Inferior turbinate hypertrophy (ITH) in the pediatric population is generally an acquired problem whose etiology includes septal deviation, allergic rhinitis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and enlarged adenoids. Congenital ITH is rarely seen, but requires full evaluation since these babies can exhibit respiratory and feeding difficulties. A review of the English language citations in the PubMed database (1965–2006) failed to reveal any references that specifically address congenital ITH. We report a case of a newborn boy with ITH and resulting respiratory distress, obstructive sleep apnea, and altered external nasal development who failed medical management but was successfully treated by performing an endoscopic inferior turbinoplasty utilizing a microdebrider.

Keywords: Inferior turbinate hypertrophy, Neonatal nasal obstruction, Obstructive sleep apnea, Endoscopic microdebrider-assisted turbinoplasty