The Efficacy of Cryosurgery Combined with Laser Surgery in the Treatment of Perennial Allergic Rhinitis

Abstract

A combined treatment of laser surgery to the inferior turbinate and transnasal cryodegeneration of the vidian nerve using endoscopy were evaluated. The study consisted of 79 patients with perennial allergic rhinitis caused by house dust. All were refractory to conservative treatment, including allergic desensitization. The CO₂ laser surgery was repeated once a week for 3 weeks. After the third laser surgery, the area that was endoscopically estimated to be the sphenopalatine foramen was frozen over the mucous membrane by an extrafine pointed cryoprobe. The subjective results 6 months after the operation are promising, and no major complications were noted. The combined treatment of laser and cryosurgery using endoscopy is a minor surgical procedure with high efficacy and minimal postoperative morbidity. More cases and a longer follow-up are necessary to provide long-term results.