[Submucosal bipolar radiofrequency therapy for treatment of turbinate hypertrophy]

Disturbance of nasal airflow occurs in about 30% of human population. Turbinate hypertrophy is frequently the base of many nasal obturative diseases. The aim of this study was to determine short- term and long term effects of the radiofrequency therapy (RFT) for patients with turbinate hypertrophy. Forty- one patients with inferior turbinate hypertrophy (19 females and 22 males) were enrolled in this study prospectively. The examination included: rhinoscopy, subiective visual analogue scale (VAS) score, in which a patient described his symptoms in points from 0, (always very good nasal airflow) to 10 points (always total obstruction) and anterior rhinomanometry. The clinical assessment was before radiofrequency-turbinectomy and within the days 7 to 25 afther this therapy (follow-up 1) and 12 months later (follow-up 2). RFT was performed in local anesthesia (1% Lidocain) by means of CELON. Rhinoscopy before RFT revealed turbinate hypertrophy, which was decreased in the follow-up examination. Subjective improvement of nasal airflow was felt by 39 patients (95%) at follow-up 1. At follow-up 2 fifteen patients (37%) reported a decreased nasal airflow when compared with the follow-up 1. Rhinomanometric results were better at follow-up 1 for the left side (p = 0,0003), the right side (p = 0,0002) and both sides altogether (p = 0,0001). The improvement continued at follow-up 2 for the left side (p = 0,0004), the right side (p = 0,001) and both sides (p = 0,001) when compared with rhinomanometry before RFT. There were not statistically significant differences between the rhinomanometric results at follow-up 1 and follow-up 2. Bipolar radiofrequency thermal ablation is an effective method for the therapy of turbinate hypertrophy.