Surgical Intervention in Allergic Rhinitis: Stuffy Versus Sneezy Runny Nose

To detect proportion and surgical outcome of adult patients with allergic rhinitis non-responsive to medical treatment. To identify clinical candidacy for submucous turbinoplasty of inferior turbinate resection or soft tissue reduction. A prospective descriptive study of adults with clinical allergic rhinitis was done. Non-responders to medical therapy were identified and outcome of surgical intervention analyzed. There were 393 patients. Eighty-one patients (21%) were refractory to medical therapy. Presenting symptoms were sneezing with watery rhinorrhea among 72% and nasal obstruction in 28% patients All patients in the latter group had hypertrophied inferior turbinates with associated deviated nasal septum in 36.6%. Bony and mucosal inferior turbinate hypertrophy among 73.3% and mucosal hypertrophy among 26.7% were identified by a negative or positive response to on-table local vasoconstrictor application respectively. Submucosal inferior turbinoplasty with turbinate resection in the former and soft tissue reduction in the latter group were done, along with septoplasty among 36%. All patients revealed significant reduction in postoperative SNOT score. Crusting was more during early postoperative period among those with soft tissue reduction and simultaneous septoplasty, necessitating meticulous endoscopic follow-up. Adult allergic rhinitis presenting predominantly with nasal obstruction (‘stuffy nose’), could be non-responsive to medical therapy unlike sneezy, runny nose, especially when obstructive symptoms are more than two years among older patients, suggesting presence of hypertrophied inferior turbinates. On-table response to vasoconstrictors is a reliable clinical indicator for submucous inferior turbinoplasty: negative and positive response suggesting turbinate resection among majority and soft tissue reduction among minority respectively.