title: Laser surgery of the inferior turbinate for allergic rhinitis with seasonal exacerbation: an acoustic rhinometry study.
abstract: Laser surgery has been used to successfully treat patients with perennial allergic rhinitis. We examined whether the numbers and types of sensitized allergens influence the effects of surgery. Two different groups (those allergic to house dust mites only, and those allergic to house dust mites and Japanese cedar pollen) prospectively underwent the same course of laser turbinectomy during the pollen dispersion season. The symptom scores for nasal obstruction significantly decreased in both groups, but the improvement of sneezing and rhinorrhea was less pronounced in the pollen group. We used acoustic rhinometry to measure postoperative changes in the nasal dimensions. Four months after treatment, the minimum cross-sectional area and nasal cavity volume had increased, respectively, by 61.7% and 30.7% in the house dust group, and by 30.7% and 16.2% in the pollen group. We conclude that laser surgery can be successfully applied to patients whose allergies show seasonal exacerbation by airborne pollen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Hiroshima University School of Medicine, Hiroshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Sachio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takeno
authors.forename: Rika
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Osada
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishino
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yajin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000485:Allergens / Q000009:adverse effects; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease; D032485:Cryptomeria / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000503:physiopathology; D015508:Nasal Obstruction / Q000601:surgery; D011058:Pollen / Q000009:adverse effects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D039981:Pyroglyphidae; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D023842:Rhinometry, Acoustic; D012621:Seasons; D012912:Sneezing / Q000502:physiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014420:Turbinates / Q000601:surgery*
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D002245:Carbon Dioxide