A study was conducted to see whether the turbinectomy technique used influenced the incidence of haemorrhage. In a group of 214 patients who underwent bilateral turbinate surgery, haemorrhage occurred in 0.9% of those who had anterior turbinectomy and 5.8% who had radical turbinectomy (P < 0.05). It is concluded that confining excision to the anterior end of the inferior turbinate offers the advantage of a lower incidence of haemorrhage.