Cryosurgical ablation for treatment of rhinitis: A prospective multicenter study

Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of cryoablation of the posterior nasal nerve (PNN) for treatment of chronic rhinitis. Methods This was a prospective single‐arm trial of 98 adult patients at six U.S. centers with chronic allergic and nonallergic rhinitis. PNN cryoablation was performed in‐office under local anesthesia using a handheld device. Patients discontinued use of intranasal ipratropium 3 days prior to treatment and throughout the study period. Reflective Total Nasal Symptom Score (rTNSS) was measured at pretreatment baseline and posttreatment at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 9 months. The Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) was completed at pretreatment and 3 months posttreatment. Adverse effects and postprocedure medication usage were recorded. Results Ninety‐eight procedures (100%) were successfully completed. rTNSS significantly improved over pretreatment baseline (6.1 ± 1.9) at 1 month (2.9 ± 1.9, P