• Home
  • Practice Focus
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
    • How I Do It
    • TRIO Best Practices
  • Business of Medicine
    • Health Policy
    • Legal Matters
    • Practice Management
    • Tech Talk
    • AI
  • Literature Reviews
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Career
    • Medical Education
    • Professional Development
    • Resident Focus
  • ENT Perspectives
    • ENT Expressions
    • Everyday Ethics
    • From TRIO
    • The Great Debate
    • Letter From the Editor
    • Rx: Wellness
    • The Voice
    • Viewpoint
  • TRIO Resources
    • Triological Society
    • The Laryngoscope
    • Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
    • TRIO Combined Sections Meetings
    • COSM
    • Related Otolaryngology Events
  • Search

Is Posterior Nasal Nerve Ablation Effective in Treating Symptoms of Allergic Rhinitis?

by Camron Davies, MD, Daniel Gorelik, BS, Andrew P. Lane, MD, Masayoshi Takashima, MD, and Omar G. Ahmed, MD • September 30, 2022

  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
Print-Friendly Version

TRIO Best PracticeTRIO Best Practice articles are brief, structured reviews designed to provide the busy clinician with a handy outline and reference for day-to-day clinical decision making. The ENTtoday summaries below include the Background and Best Practice sections of the original article. To view the complete Laryngoscope articles free of charge, visit Laryngoscope.

You Might Also Like

  • Treating Allergic Rhinitis Improves Symptoms of ADHD
  • 30-Unit Dose of Abobotulinum Toxin A Reduces Most Nasal Allergic Rhinitis Symptoms
  • Local Nasal Immunotherapy Safe, Effective for Allergic Rhinitis
  • SCIT Effective for Asthma, Allergic Rhinitis
Explore This Issue
September 2022

BACKGROUND

Chronic rhinitis (CR) affects ~60 million people per year and can dramatically impair a patient’s quality of life. CR can be divided into allergic, nonallergic (including vasomotor), and mixed subtypes. Approximately 10% to 22% of these patients are refractory to medical treatment (Laryngoscope. 2020;130:1877-1884). Given that many symptoms of nonallergic rhinitis are thought to be secondary to parasympathetic dysfunction, targeted ablation of the posterior nasal nerves (PNN) has emerged as an effective treatment option.

For patients with a vasomotor etiology of CR, the pathophysiology explaining PNN ablation’s efficacy is clear; however, until recently, the evidence was less clear for those suffering from allergic etiologies, as these are characterized by the release of proinflammatory mediators in response to allergens, which occurs independently of parasympathetic activation. This Best Practice review seeks to answer whether in-office PNN ablation is also an effective treatment for the symptoms of allergic rhinitis (AR).

BEST PRACTICE

Although the number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is lacking, given the consistency of earlier prospective single-arm cohort studies, combined with the support of newer well-designed RCTs, there is enough evidence to support PNN as an effective treatment for allergic rhinitis symptoms, particularly nasal congestion and rhinorrhea.

Given the favorable side effect profile of in-office PNN, there appears to be a role for cryoablation or radiofrequency neurolysis in treating symptoms of AR. Future studies should confirm these findings with additional RCTs using sham control procedures, longer follow-up, and larger and more diverse patient populations.

Filed Under: Practice Focus, Rhinology, Rhinology, TRIO Best Practices Tagged With: allergic rhinitis, treatmentIssue: September 2022

You Might Also Like:

  • Treating Allergic Rhinitis Improves Symptoms of ADHD
  • 30-Unit Dose of Abobotulinum Toxin A Reduces Most Nasal Allergic Rhinitis Symptoms
  • Local Nasal Immunotherapy Safe, Effective for Allergic Rhinitis
  • SCIT Effective for Asthma, Allergic Rhinitis

The Triological SocietyENTtoday is a publication of The Triological Society.

Polls

Have you invented or patented something that betters the field of otolaryngology?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive

Top Articles for Residents

  • Applications Open for Resident Members of ENTtoday Edit Board
  • How To Provide Helpful Feedback To Residents
  • Call for Resident Bowl Questions
  • New Standardized Otolaryngology Curriculum Launching July 1 Should Be Valuable Resource For Physicians Around The World
  • Do Training Programs Give Otolaryngology Residents the Necessary Tools to Do Productive Research?
  • Popular this Week
  • Most Popular
  • Most Recent
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment

    • Otolaryngologists as Entrepreneurs: Transforming Patient Care And Practice

    • Otolaryngologists Are Still Debating the Effectiveness of Tongue Tie Treatment

    • Continued Discussion And Engagement Are Essential To How Otolaryngologists Are Championing DEI Initiatives In Medicine

    • Rating Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Severity: How Do Two Common Instruments Compare?

    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment

    • Rating Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Severity: How Do Two Common Instruments Compare?

    • Is Middle Ear Pressure Affected by Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Use?

    • Otolaryngologists Are Still Debating the Effectiveness of Tongue Tie Treatment

    • Complications for When Physicians Change a Maiden Name

    • Leaky Pipes—Time to Focus on Our Foundations
    • You Are Among Friends: The Value Of Being In A Group
    • How To: Full Endoscopic Procedures of Total Parotidectomy
    • How To: Does Intralesional Steroid Injection Effectively Mitigate Vocal Fold Scarring in a Rabbit Model?
    • What Is the Optimal Anticoagulation in HGNS Surgery in Patients with High-Risk Cardiac Comorbidities?

Follow Us

  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • The Triological Society
  • The Laryngoscope
  • Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookies

Wiley

Copyright © 2025 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved, including rights for text and data mining and training of artificial technologies or similar technologies. ISSN 1559-4939