Effect of Laser Posterior Nasal Neurolysis for the Treatment of Chronic Rhinitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Jyun-Yi Liao, En-Ying Wang, Ying-Shuo Hsu et al.
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In 30 seconds
This single-center, prospective, single-blinded, randomized sham-controlled trial evaluated CO₂ laser posterior nasal nerve treatment in patients with chronic rhinitis and specified minimum symptom scores. At 3 months, the active-treatment group had a greater reduction in reflective Total Nasal Symptom Score (rTNSS) than the sham group: -4.7 (95% CI, -5.5 to -3.9) versus -2.6 (95% CI, -3.4 to -1.8; p = 0.002). The 30% improvement responder rate was not significantly different, although a post-hoc analysis found more patients achieved at least 50% improvement with active treatment.
Key findings
- At 3 months, rTNSS decreased by -4.7 (95% CI, -5.5 to -3.9) with active treatment versus -2.6 (95% CI, -3.4 to -1.8) with sham (p = 0.002).
- The responder rate for at least 30% rTNSS improvement was 81.4% versus 63.6% (p = 0.119), not a significant difference.
- In a post-hoc analysis, at least 50% rTNSS improvement occurred in 65.1% versus 31.8% (p = 0.011).
- PSQI and ESS scores improved more with active treatment than sham at follow-up (p = 0.041 and 0.005, respectively).
Why it matters
Chronic rhinitis can impose substantial symptom burden. In this sham-controlled trial, laser treatment of the posterior nasal nerve area produced a greater short-term reduction in nasal symptoms than the sham procedure, with reported improvements in sleep-related measures as well. The findings add controlled evidence for this intervention, while the nonsignificant primary responder-rate comparison warrants attention when interpreting the magnitude of benefit.
What to keep in mind
The trial was single-center and single-blinded, and the primary endpoint was assessed at 3 months. The at-least-50% responder result came from a post-hoc analysis.