Abstract
We treated 64 patients with perennial allergic rhinitis refractory to conservative therapy by vaporizing the inferior turbinates with a KTP laser. The rate of subjective improvement was 73% at one month after the surgery, 67% at 3 months and 57% at 6 months. The laser surgery had no effect on 11 patients, but a subjective improvement was obtained in 9 out of these 11 patients by revaporization.
We administered a questionnaire to 34 patiens regarding the laser surgery at 3 months after the surgery. The results were as follows: the most discomfort experienced during surgery was the unpleasant smoke generated by the vaporization process; 28 out of 34 patients wished to undergo the laser surgery again in case of a relapse of severe rhinitis.
The vaporized inferior turbinates from four patients were examined histopathologically. At 3 months after the surgery, the squamous epithelium covered the surface of the vaporized mucosa. The number of nasal glands had decreased, and the collagen fibers had increased in the submucosal area. At six months, the epithelium had changed from a squamous epithelium to a pseudostratified ciliated epithelium, and many inflammatory cells could be seen in the interstitial tissues. It seemed that the nasal mucosa had recovered to its initial state of allergic rhinitis by six months after the laser treatment.
KTP laser surgery is an easy and effective treatment for perennial allergic rhinitis, but the longterm effectiveness of this therapy remains to be studied.
