Symptoms treatment for allergic rhinitis using diode laser: results after 6-year follow-up

Abstract

Allergic rhinitis is a very common chronic disease. The purpose of this study was to measure the outcome of treating allergic rhinitis with diode laser, over a long-term follow-up of 6 years. Forty-two consecutive patients with newly diagnosed allergic rhinitis that was refractive to conservative medical therapies were enrolled in the study. Treatment was with a diode laser (wavelength 805 nm, laser parameter 12 W, in 'contact' mode) under local anesthesia between September 1999 and May 2000. A quality of life questionnaire was used after a follow-up period of 6 years to assess the outcome of diode laser surgery. All 42 patients suffered from either perennial or persistent-type allergic rhinitis. Twenty-five out of 42 patients (60%) replied to the questionnaire 6 years after laser surgery. The mean operation time was 1 min 28 s for each patient. No complications were observed (e.g., major bleeding), and no nasal packing was necessary. Statistical analysis revealed significant improvements in symptom score, medication score and total score 6 years after laser surgery. A total of 60% of the patients described improvements in symptom scores, and 68% of the patients described improvements in total score 6 years after laser treatment. It was evident that the effectiveness of laser surgery persisted through the 6 years of follow-up. Long-term follow-up after 6 years confirmed that diode laser surgery for allergic rhinitis is a useful procedure that has a long-lasting effect and can be performed in an outpatient surgery under local anesthesia. Minimal discomfort, long-term effectiveness and short operation time are other reasons why this treatment should be selected for patients with allergic rhinitis that is refractive to conservative management.

The brain functional connectivity alterations in traumatic patients with olfactory disorder after low-level laser therapy demonstrated by fMRI

“…25,30,31 Using diode laser surgery in patients with allergic rhinitis and long-term follow-up after 6 years proved that diode laser is a useful procedure that has a long-lasting effect on allergic rhinitis. 55 Thus, it will be notable in future studies to investigate the long-term effects of LLLT, which may shed light on the impact of laser surgery on neural regeneration and higher level of olfactory processing. One limitation of this study is that we recruited quite a small study population.…”

Comparison between rigid and flexible laser supraglottoplasty in the treatment of severe laryngomalacia in infants

“…In this study, we used a hand-piece instrument which could fully compensate this drawback. Conceivably, any laser energy with enough abilities of cauterization and deliverable via flexible fibers (e.g., diode-laser [25][26][27] or APC [28,29]) may also be considered in this FE application. Further research will clarify which, if any, is the ''best'' laser supraglottoplasty in infants with SLM.…”

Higher Dosage of HIFU Treatment May Lead to Higher and Longer Efficacy for Moderate to Severe Perennial Allergic Rhinitis

“…Vidian neurectomy15, turbinectomy, electrocautery, cryosurgery, chemosurgery16, microwave, laser17 and radiofrequency18 are most commonly-used surgical treatments for AR. These treatments are proved to be effective while dry eyes, nasal bleeding, crusting, and synechia are often found postoperatively.…”