Traditional vs. Posterior Nasal Radiofrequency Ablation for Chronic Rhinitis

May 9, 2026 updated by: Chien Yu Huang

Comparison of Traditional Radiofrequency Ablation of Inferior Turbinates With or Without Posterior Nasal Radiofrequency Ablation: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study is a prospective, single-center, single-blinded randomized controlled trial designed to compare the clinical effectiveness of traditional radiofrequency ablation of the anterior inferior turbinate alone versus expanded radiofrequency ablation including the middle and posterior portions of the inferior turbinate (posterior nasal region). Patients with chronic rhinitis who remain symptomatic despite at least six months of medical therapy will be randomized in a 2:1 ratio to undergo extended posterior nasal ablation versus traditional anterior treatment. Symptom improvement will be evaluated using rTNSS and other validated questionnaires.

Study Overview

Status

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Chronic rhinitis is a common condition characterized by persistent nasal obstruction and rhinorrhea, leading to significant impairment in quality of life. Radiofrequency ablation of the inferior turbinate is an established minimally invasive treatment for patients with symptoms refractory to medical therapy. However, symptom control may be suboptimal in some patients, particularly when posterior nasal neural components contribute to disease persistence.

Posterior nasal radiofrequency ablation, which extends treatment to the middle and posterior portions of the inferior turbinate, has been proposed as an adjunctive technique to enhance symptom relief by targeting posterior nasal regions. Evidence comparing traditional anterior inferior turbinate radiofrequency ablation with expanded posterior nasal radiofrequency ablation remains limited.

In this prospective, single-center, randomized controlled trial, eligible patients with chronic rhinitis refractory to at least six months of medical therapy will be randomized in a 2:1 ratio to receive either expanded radiofrequency ablation including the middle and posterior portions of the inferior turbinate or traditional anterior inferior turbinate radiofrequency ablation alone. The primary outcome is the response rate based on improvement in reflective Total Nasal Symptom Score (rTNSS), defined as a ≥30% reduction from baseline at 3 months after the procedure. Secondary outcomes include changes in validated symptom and quality-of-life questionnaires and the incidence of procedure-related complications.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

60

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Taiwan
    • Taiwan
      • Chiayi City, Taiwan, Taiwan, 600
        • Chiayi Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW)

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age between 18 and 65 years old
  • Chronic rhinitis symptoms for at least 6 months that have not responded effectively to medication (should include at least Intranasal corticosteroid (ICS) combined with intermittent use of oral antihistamine and, as needed, combination nasal spray) or where medication has not provided sustained improvement
  • Total rTNSS ≥ 4 with Moderate to severe rhinorrhea symptoms (24-hour reflective Total Nasal Symptom Score [rTNSS] rhinorrhea score of 1-3) and mild to severe nasal congestion symptoms (rTNSS nasal congestion score of 1-3)
  • All enrolled patients routinely undergo endonasal endoscopic examination, or have had a sinus CT within the past month confirming no significant rhinosinusitis."

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Obstructive anatomical abnormalities limiting access to posterior nasal passages
  • Nasal anatomical changes due to previous sinus or nasal surgery or injury
  • Ongoing nasal or sinus infection
  • History of severe dry eye, chronic epistaxis, rhinitis medicamentosa, or head and neck radiotherapy
  • Self-reported history of bleeding tendency
  • Current use of anticoagulants with inability to discontinue
  • Previous chronic rhinitis surgery
  • History of poor wound healing after head, neck, or throat surgery
  • Pregnancy/lactation
  • Neuromuscular disease preventing supine positioning

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Inferior Turbinate RF with Posterior Nasal RF Ablation
Traditional Radiofrequency Ablation of Inferior Turbinates With Posterior Nasal Radiofrequency Ablation
Procedure: Traditional Radiofrequency Ablation of Inferior Turbinates With Posterior Nasal Radiofrequency Ablation

Intervention:

Radiofrequency Ablation (Olympus Celon Elite ESG-400)

  • Local anesthesia with 2% lidocaine
  • RF ablation at 15W
  • Multiple punctures along anterior, middle, and posterior inferior turbinate (15-20 per side)
  • Includes posterior nasal region (superior, medial, inferior aspects)
  • No nasal packing required

Post-operative care (3 days):

  1. Tranexamic acid 250mg 1cap BID x3 days
  2. Amoxicillin 500mg 1 cap BID x3 days
  3. Acetaminophen 500mg 1tab BID x3 days
  4. Levocetirizine 5mg 1tab QD x3 days + PRN x4 days
Active Comparator: Inferior Turbinate RF Ablation
Traditional Radiofrequency Ablation of Inferior Turbinates
Procedure: Traditional Radiofrequency Ablation of Inferior Turbinates

Intervention:

Radiofrequency Ablation (anterior inferior turbinate only)

  • Same anesthesia and device
  • RF applied only to anterior inferior turbinate (≈2 punctures per side)
  • No treatment to middle/posterior inferior turbinate Post-operative care: Same as experimental arm

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Response rate based on improvement in reflective Total Nasal Symptom Score (rTNSS)
Time Frame: 3 months after the procedure
Response is defined as a ≥30% reduction from baseline in the reflective Total Nasal Symptom Score (rTNSS; range 0-12, higher scores indicate worse symptoms).
3 months after the procedure

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in reflective Total Nasal Symptom Score (rTNSS)
Time Frame: Baseline, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months after the procedure
Change in reflective Total Nasal Symptom Score (rTNSS; range 0-12, higher scores indicate worse symptoms) from baseline.
Baseline, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months after the procedure
Change in Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) score
Time Frame: Baseline, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months after the procedure
Change in Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE; range 0-20, higher scores indicate worse symptoms) from baseline.
Baseline, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months after the procedure
Change in Mini Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (Mini-RQLQ) score
Time Frame: Baseline and 3 months after the procedure
Change in Mini Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (Mini-RQLQ; range 0-6, higher scores indicate worse quality of life) from baseline.
Baseline and 3 months after the procedure
Incidence of intervention-related complications
Time Frame: From the date of the procedure through 12 months after the procedure
All self-reported and clinically observed complications related to the intervention.
From the date of the procedure through 12 months after the procedure
Change in Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire-7 (ETDQ-7) score
Time Frame: Baseline and 3 months after the procedure
Change in Eustachian Tube Dysfunction Questionnaire-7 (ETDQ-7; range 7-49, higher scores indicate worse symptoms) from baseline.
Baseline and 3 months after the procedure
Change in Patulous Eustachian tube handicap inventory-10 (PHI-10) score
Time Frame: Baseline and 3 months after the procedure
Change in Patulous Eustachian tube handicap inventory-10 (PHI-10; range 0-40, higher scores indicate worse symptoms) from baseline.
Baseline and 3 months after the procedure
Change in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score
Time Frame: Baseline and 3 months after the procedure
Change in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI; range 0-21, higher scores indicate worse sleep quality) from baseline.
Baseline and 3 months after the procedure
Change in Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score
Time Frame: Baseline and 3 months after the procedure
Change in Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS; range 0-24, higher scores indicate greater daytime sleepiness) from baseline.
Baseline and 3 months after the procedure

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Chien Yu Huang

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

March 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

April 5, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

May 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 12, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 1, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

January 7, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 9, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IRB 25-013
  • 25-013 (Other Identifier: Institutional Review Board, Jianan Psychiatric Center, MOHW)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be shared due to patient privacy considerations and institutional data protection policies. Only aggregated results will be presented in publications and reports.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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