Radiofrequency for the treatment of XXXX refractory to medical therapy.

@entity1 @entity2023 @entity5254 @entity735 @entity281 @entity56 @entity2531 @entity392 @entity10 @entity8968
OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The ideal treatment for @entity2023 refractory to medical therapy is still lacking. The aim of the study is to evaluate the efficacy of turbinate surgery with radiofrequency for the treatment of @entity2023 that is unresponsive to medical therapy. STUDY DESIGN: A prospective, nonrandomized clinical study. METHODS: From February 2000 to April 2002, 108 consecutive @entity1 (45 @entity1 and 63 @entity1 [mean age, 29.5 y]) with @entity2023 refractory to medical therapy who underwent radiofrequency turbinate surgery were enrolled in the study. Postoperative follow-up ranged from 12 to 26 months. A standard 0-to-10 visual analogue scale with an anchor was used to assess the @entity2531 , including @entity8968 , @entity5254 , sneezing, itchy nose, and @entity735 , preoperatively and postoperatively at the end of weeks 1 and 2 and months 1, 3, 6, and 12 after surgery. Statistical analysis was determined by repeated measures of ANOVA. RESULTS: None of the 108 @entity1 had obvious discomfort other than mild numbness over the premaxillary area (24 of 108 [22.2%]) during operation. Also, no adverse reactions including bleeding, @entity281 , adhesion, or a worsening of @entity56 were encountered. One hundred one @entity1 were included in the final statistical analysis. Only nine @entity1 reported no improvement at all after treatment. The response rate of radiofrequency turbinate surgery for @entity2023 refractory to medical therapy was 91.1% (92 of 101). At 1 year after the treatment, the degree of @entity8968 had changed on the visual analogue scale (mean +/- SD) from 6.84 +/- 2.09 to 2.47 +/- 1.60, an improvement of 63.9%. The degree of @entity5254 had changed from 5.74 +/- 2.75 to 2.57 +/- 2.31, an improvement of 55.2%. The degree of sneezing had changed from 5.30 +/- 2.80 to 2.59 +/- 2.13, an improvement of 51.1%. The degree of itchy nose had changed from 3.74 +/- 3.16 to 1.82 +/- 2.27, an improvement of 51.3%. The degree of @entity735 had changed from 3.17 +/- 3.09 to 1.68 +/- 2.38, an improvement of 47.0%. The visual analogue scale scores for @entity8968 , @entity5254 , sneezing, itchy nose, and @entity735 decreased significantly with time, from preoperative scores to scores at 1 year after surgery. Other additional effects and improvements, including @entity10 , lumpy throat, night cough, and @entity392 , were also reported by the @entity1 . Most of the @entity1 stated that they would consider repeating this procedure if necessary and would recommend the new method to their friends with the same problems. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrates that radiofrequency appears to be an effective and safe tool for treating @entity2023 with poor response to medical therapy. In the future, radiofrequency has the potential to be one of the most popular surgical modalities for the treatment of @entity2023 refractory to medical therapy.
