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TOPLINE:

Among patients with chronic rhinitis, temperature-controlled radiofrequency ablation of the posterior nasal nerve provided sustained reduction in symptoms, according to a study of 3-year follow-up data.

METHODOLOGY:

• As part of a trial at 16 centers in the United States, 104 patients with chronic rhinitis underwent temperature-controlled radiofrequency ablation of the posterior nasal nerve, which was found to improve symptoms at 3 months and 2 years.
• To assess longer-term outcomes, researchers examined data from 59 participants (mean age, 56.5 years; 61% women) who completed a 3-year follow-up evaluation.
• The primary outcome was the mean change in reflective total nasal symptom score (rTNSS), including rhinorrhea, nasal congestion, nasal itching, and sneezing.

TAKEAWAY:

• The rTNSS showed significant improvement, decreasing from a mean of 8.2 (95% CI, 7.9-8.6) at baseline to 3.5 (95% CI, 2.9-4.1) at 3 years, representing a 57.1% reduction (mean change, −4.7; 95% CI, −5.3 to −4.1; P < .0001).
• Marked improvements in cough and postnasal drip symptoms and quality of life were observed (P < .0001 for all).
• No device- or procedure-related adverse events were reported between 24 and 36 months of follow-up, and no serious adverse events occurred throughout the study period.

IN PRACTICE:

“Ablation of the [posterior nasal nerve] has recently been established as a safe and effective alternative to surgical procedures when managing [chronic rhinitis] symptoms that are refractory to medical management,” the authors wrote. Improvement “previously reported at 3-month through 2-year follow-up was sustained through 3-year follow-up.”

SOURCE:

J. Pablo Stolovitzky, MD, with the Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, was the corresponding author of this study, which was published online on April 4 inthe International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology.

LIMITATIONS:

This study was limited by the rate of patient attrition, the absence of confirmatory allergy testing, and the lack of control over patients’ use of medications.

DISCLOSURES:

This study was funded by Aerin Medical. Some coauthors reported serving as consultants for or receiving research funding from Aerin and other companies.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.