A runny nose is the most common symptom of respiratory diseases, which many consider to be harmless. But in reality, not treating rhinitis can lead to the development of dangerous complications. These include otitis media, inflammation of the maxillary sinuses and even bronchial asthma. The nasal mucosa is the primary barrier that protects the body from pathogenic microflora and other harmful substances.
When germs or allergens penetrate this barrier, they can disrupt the functioning of the entire body, leading to allergic and chronic diseases. Therefore, treatment of respiratory tract diseases must be mandatory and timely. One of the modern and effective therapeutic methods is laser treatment. But how effective is this procedure? In what cases is such therapy prescribed and what are its consequences?
Laser therapy: what is it?
Laser treatment of the nose is increasingly used for therapeutic and preventive purposes. This method is absolutely painless, non-invasive, it does not damage the skin and has a comprehensive healing effect on organs and tissues. The effect of laser on the affected areas activates biochemical processes, renews cells and stimulates local immunity.
The technique is valuable because after just a few sessions:
capillaries expand; blood circulation improves; lymph flow is activated; regeneration of damaged tissue is accelerated; the body's resistance to allergens and pathogens increases; pain is eliminated; inflammation is relieved.
Attention! Laser therapy prevents the development of allergies that occur after taking medications.
When treating nasal diseases, low-frequency lasers with a special design are used. The device generates flashes of light of different amplitudes. There are two methods of laser therapy.
In the first case, a stable laser is used (during exposure, the position of the device does not change). In the second case, a labile action may be used, in which the beam is slowly moved, directing it to different affected areas. With this type of treatment, 3-5 zones are irradiated in one procedure. On average, laser therapy for the nose involves 8-12 sessions. If the disease is chronic, then after 2-3 months the procedure is repeated.
In what cases is laser therapy permitted and prohibited?
Before performing laser treatment on your nose, you should find out what the indications and contraindications are. This method of therapy will be effective for:
nasal congestion of various etiologies; sinusitis; adenoiditis; chronic, allergic and acute rhinitis; frontite; pharyngitis; bronchitis; otitis; sore throat; laryngitis.
A nasal laser is contraindicated in cases of acute infection, poor blood clotting, exacerbation of chronic diseases, thyrotoxicosis, oncological pathologies, pregnancy and hyperthyroidism.
How is laser therapy performed for adenoids and nasal congestion?
Laser treatment of adenoids is used as part of a complex treatment of adenoiditis. At the initial stage of therapy, swelling, inflammation are eliminated and infectious foci are eliminated.
At the second stage, the work of the local and general immune system is activated and subsequent proliferation of lymphoid tissue is prevented. Laser therapy of the nose for adenoids is carried out every day, the course duration is up to 8 sessions.
The duration of endonasal exposure is 60 seconds on each part of the nose, through the mouth. The device without an attachment is placed in the area of the front teeth. Treatment is repeated after 60-90 days. The final stage of therapy is indicated after half a year. As a result, the size of the adenoids is reduced to 1 degree and normal breathing through the nose is resumed. After therapy, relapses are extremely rare.
Important! Before the session, you need to rinse your nose with saline solution and clean the adenoids.
After laser treatment, the physical size of the tonsils does not become smaller. However, swelling is relieved, causing the adenoids to shrink and breathing easier. The inflammatory process is also eliminated and the likelihood of relapses is reduced. All this allows you to stop the growth of vegetation and avoid surgical intervention.
Laser therapy for nasal congestion caused by acute rhinitis involves irradiating the respiratory organ for 1 minute for three days.
Next, a contact-stable effect is carried out, lasting 1.5-2 minutes.
The action is carried out sequentially on the periclavicular areas and certain areas on the face.
To enhance the therapeutic effect, additional distant (near the entrance to the nostril) and endonasal effects are indicated, using ENT attachments.
If nasal congestion is caused by hay fever or allergic rhinitis, then to alleviate the severity of the disease, treatment is carried out 14-21 days before the onset of exacerbation. An improvement in the condition is noted after the first session, and during subsequent procedures the symptoms of the disease gradually disappear.
For nasal congestion caused by vasomotor runny nose, the goal of therapy is to strengthen the vessels of the mucous membrane of the respiratory organ, eliminate disturbances in its functioning and activate blood circulation. With this type of rhinitis, laser therapy is the only treatment method that immediately affects the entire area of the mucous membrane . Often, 6-8 procedures are sufficient to improve nasal breathing in most patients. In case of relapse, the course is repeated after 30 days.
There are a number of rules that must be followed during laser therapy:
Physical activity should be completely avoided. All food and drinks should be cool. It is necessary to refuse visiting the steam room and relaxing on the beach.
Attention! If you follow the above recommendations, blood flow in the adenoids and nose will improve, swelling of the mucous membranes will decrease, and the affected tissues will quickly regenerate.
For chronic rhinitis, laser treatment is carried out with two types of devices.
In the first case, a powerful laser scalpel is used , with which a cut up to 0.01 mm deep is made in the tissue. At the same time, moisture evaporates in the area of intervention, which eliminates the possibility of infection and blood loss. Adenoids are removed in this way. A couple of hours after the operation, the patient can go home, where he will recover for 8-10 days. In the second case, low-power lasers are used to heat the nasal mucosa and evaporate the affected parts of its cells. During intensive heating, local anesthesia is used. This method of laser treatment allows you to expand the nasal passages and eliminate swelling.
Laser treatment methods for vasomotor rhinitis
Today, two main methods are used in the treatment of ENT pathologies of the nose:
- A laser scalpel, which is used to excise hypertrophied tissue and evaporate nasal secretions at the site of exposure. For complete cure, only one procedure is performed;
- The use of low-power lasers, which have a physiotherapeutic effect: eliminate swelling and congestion, evaporate excess nasal mucus, facilitate or restore nasal breathing. Since this method is equivalent to physiotherapy, 3 or more procedures will be required to completely cure the patient.
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The advantage of laser therapy is its complete safety due to the lack of direct contact with the tissues of the nose, painlessness (in both cases a meat anesthetic is used), a short rehabilitation period, and the absence of blood and wounds that require special care.
Symptoms of vasomotor rhinitis
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The pathology is associated with serious dysfunction of the nasal cavity. Symptoms of the disease can be pronounced or mild, it all depends on the form of rhinitis.
Neurovegetative vasomotor rhinitis is accompanied by mild symptoms, and treating this disease is much more difficult, since its causes are disorders of the nervous system.
Allergic vasomotor rhinitis has clear symptoms, which make it easy to determine the nature of the disease.
The main symptoms of vasomotor rhinitis:
Nasal congestion, worse when lying down. Prolonged and frequent sneezing that appears suddenly. This usually occurs through direct contact with the allergen. Aching headache, general weakness, dizziness. Itching of the nasal mucosa. Copious, often liquid, discharge from the nasal cavity. The mucus may be clear or have a yellowish tint with a distinct unpleasant odor of pus. With allergic vasomotor rhinitis, tearing, pain, burning and itching in the eyes, redness of the conjunctiva and eyelids may be observed. In the neurovegetative form, functional disorders of the nervous system are observed, which can be determined by circulatory disorders in the brain and deviations in the activity of the cardiovascular system. Increased body temperature. Loss of appetite, absent-mindedness, sleep disturbance, memory loss. Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing through the mouth, caused by poor ventilation of the lungs, which, in turn, is caused by difficulty breathing through the nose.
Sometimes vasomotor rhinitis can be accompanied by chronic sinusitis, nasal polyps, acute sinusitis and inflammation of the middle ear.
If polyps are present, urgent surgical intervention is necessary, since these formations can completely block the nasal passages. With chronic sinusitis, the patient's paranasal sinuses become inflamed, headaches occur, and swelling of the face appears.
The inflammatory process can only be relieved with the help of antibiotics. Otitis media is accompanied by severe pain in the ear; treatment also requires the use of antibiotics for a runny nose in adults.
The main symptom of acute sinusitis (as a complication of vasomotor rhinitis) is the accumulation of purulent contents in the maxillary sinuses. This happens because the swelling of the mucous membrane blocks the anastomosis, which prevents the mucus from leaving the sinuses.
When the sinuses fill with mucus, the patient experiences severe pain in the area of the bridge of the nose and brow ridges.
Treatment of vasomotor rhinitis
Conservative and surgical methods are used in the treatment of this disease. Conservative treatment is usually used in the treatment of acute or subacute forms of the disease. Treatment of chronic vasomotor rhinitis most often requires surgical intervention.
Drug therapy
Drug therapy involves eliminating the symptoms of the disease. For this purpose, the patient is prescribed the following groups of medications:
- antihistamines, which eliminate hypersensitivity to certain irritants;
- anticholinergics, which can control nervous system disorders;
- corticosteroid medications, which relieve nasal congestion;
- vasoconstrictors to reduce nasal discharge;
- drugs to relieve swelling of the nasal mucosa.
Some specialists use the method of sanitation of the nasal mucosa with its subsequent restoration to treat vasomotor rhinitis. To do this, the mucous membrane is irrigated with fine particles of minerals, thus carrying out its sanitation (removal of dead tissue). After this, photodynamic therapy is used to restore the mucosa. Then the lymph flow is enhanced using organotherapy (molecular biology method), which contributes to a significant increase in local immunity.
The neurovegetative type of vasomotor rhinitis additionally requires observation and treatment by a neurologist.
But in some cases, conservative therapy is ineffective. In such situations, surgical treatment of the disease is used.
Surgical intervention
The most commonly used surgical methods in treatment are:
- classic instrumental vasotomy of the inferior turbinates;
- laser coagulation;
- radio wave coagulation of the inferior nasal concha;
- argon plasma coagulation;
- ultrasonic disintegration of the inferior nasal concha;
- galvanocaustics.
Modern surgery quite often uses laser treatment for vasomotor rhinitis. In addition to the fact that this method is the most gentle, in more than 90% of cases it gives positive results. After undergoing 5-6 sessions of this treatment, patients note the absence of nasal congestion and the complete restoration of their sense of smell.
Laser
Laser treatment of vasomotor rhinitis involves evaporating excess blood vessels in the nasal cavity under the influence of a carbon dioxide laser. As a result, swelling decreases and the patency of the nasal turbinates is restored.
During treatment, the patient is given local anesthesia, after which the light guide of the device is inserted into the nostril. By breaking through the mucous membrane, it destroys blood vessels that prevent normal nasal breathing.
Another advantage of laser treatment of vasomotor rhinitis is that the laser beam does not violate the integrity of the nasal concha, affecting only the mucous membrane.
Diagnosis of vasomotor rhinitis
Diagnosis of vasomotor rhinitis requires an objective assessment of symptoms and comprehensive hardware and laboratory testing. Diagnostic measures consist of:
Patient interview. Objective examination. Rhinoscopy. Laboratory diagnostics. Radiographs.
When interviewing the patient, the doctor pays special attention to the connection between the appearance of symptoms and the impact of unfavorable factors, the latter of which often occur at home.
During an objective examination, the doctor may detect nasal discharge, breathing problems, and frequent sneezing. These signs are always present in vasomotor rhinitis.
Rhinoscopy is an instrumental diagnostic method and comes in three types: posterior, middle, anterior. Some local changes are typical for vasomotor rhinitis.
With an exacerbation of vasomotor rhinitis, swelling of the maxillary sinuses and hyperemia of the mucous membrane occurs, the nasal turbinates enlarge, dilated vessels are visible, and a large amount of mucus is released. During remission, usually no changes are observed.
In laboratory diagnostics, a major role is given to a general blood test, or more precisely to the content of eosinophils. An increase in the number of these leukocyte cells is often a sign of a high allergic background, which indicates the allergic origin of vasomotor rhinitis.
An x-ray of the paranasal sinuses shows some complications of vasomotor rhinitis: sinusitis, polyps.
Indications and contraindications
The main indication for the treatment of rhinitis is a confirmed form of chronic runny nose, a tendency to hypertrophy of the mucous membrane, year-round nasal discharge with congestion of unknown nature. Other indications include:
- long-term course of sinusitis;
- formation of polyps;
- chronic obstructive bronchitis;
- adenoiditis in children and adults;
- chronic laryngitis and tonsillitis;
- catarrhal otitis.
Laser treatment is prescribed for persistent symptoms that bother the patient: crusts on the nasal mucosa, difficulty in nasal breathing at night, proliferation of the epithelial layers of the nasal mucosa. If drug treatment does not bring results, otolaryngologists safely prescribe laser correction. There are no absolute contraindications to the use of laser.
Complications of vasomotor rhinitis
If treatment for vasomotor rhinitis was started untimely or was absent altogether, as a rule, the patient experiences various complications.
If the disease is complicated by chronic sinusitis, pain in the facial part of the head and swelling of the soft tissues are added to the previous symptoms. Most often, sinusitis develops, which is a complication of neurovegetative rhinitis. Polyps are benign formations on the nasal mucosa. Their appearance makes nasal breathing almost impossible. Inflammation of the middle ear (otitis) occurs as a result of mucus entering it from the nasal cavity, which penetrates through the Eustachian tube.
Therapy for vasomotor rhinitis
Laser treatment of vasomotor rhinitis is the only adequate and safe method of correction for the chronic form of the pathology. With a long course of the disease, with constant nasal congestion and mucus discharge, conservative methods bring only temporary improvement.
The use of laser is a promising method regarding the prognosis for the patient’s full recovery. After the first procedure, effectiveness is achieved with a probability of 90%.
The treatment process takes place in special rooms. Considering the minimally invasive method, patients immediately experience relief without postoperative complications.
The laser correction method is used everywhere today. Radical treatment is ideal for patients of any age, including young children.
Long-term rhinitis provokes many complications, especially in childhood. An absolute solution to the problem allows you to completely restore nasal breathing and eliminate the risk of secondary infectious diseases.
Author: Anna Levina, doctor, especially for Moylor.ru
How to treat vasomotor rhinitis?
In the treatment of vasomotor rhinitis, both conservative and surgical treatment methods are used. Non-surgical treatment of rhinitis is possible only in acute or subacute form. To treat chronic runny nose, surgical intervention is most often required.
Through drug therapy, the main symptoms of the disease can be eliminated, for which the patient is prescribed the following groups of medications:
Vasoconstrictor drops to eliminate nasal discharge. Antihistamines that eliminate hypersensitivity to allergens. Corticosteroid medications to relieve nasal congestion. Anticholinergics that control nervous system disorders. Medicines to relieve swelling of the mucous membrane.
In order to treat vasomotor rhinitis, some doctors use the technique of sanitation of the nasal cavity with its further restoration. This procedure involves irrigating the mucous membrane with fine particles of minerals, and dead tissue is removed.
Next, photodynamic therapy is used to restore the nasal mucosa. Then, using organotherapy (molecular biological method), lymph flow is enhanced, which provides a significant increase in local immunity.
Neurovegetative vasomotor rhinitis additionally requires observation and treatment by a neurologist. However, conservative therapy is not always effective. In such situations, surgical treatment is indicated.
Contraindications to laser treatment
Laser therapy is safe for the health and life of the patient, but in special cases the patient is prescribed alternative treatment. This usually occurs in chronic forms of lung diseases, oncological pathologies, regardless of their genesis, during pregnancy, and at a significantly elevated body temperature.
Relative contraindications are situations when patients are diagnosed with:
- cardiovascular diseases;
- frequent nosebleeds are observed;
- poor laser tolerance;
- diabetes.
In other cases, laser therapy is appropriate and helps to significantly alleviate the patient’s condition in a short time.
Other treatments for vasomotor rhinitis
As soon as the disease is diagnosed, the otolaryngologist prescribes a comprehensive treatment consisting of medications and physical therapy. If the situation does not improve within a certain time, surgical treatment is used, which is carried out to straighten the nasal septum or to truncate vessels that have lost their tone. Until recently, operations were carried out using a scalpel, but nowadays laser therapy has replaced conventional surgery.
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What types of operations are there?
Before deciding on surgical treatment, doctors try all available methods of conservative therapy. Only if it does not give positive results is surgery prescribed.
Surgery for rhinitis is, of course, a last resort, after which the patient is under medical supervision for some time. A radical method of treating vasomotor rhinitis allows the patient to forget about the problem for a long time, and sometimes forever.
Surgical methods for treating rhinitis include:
Laser treatment. Vasotomy (conchotomy). Galvanocaustics. Removal of polyps. Correction of a deviated nasal septum.
During the operation, the surgeon removes the blood vessels of the mucous epithelium of the nasal turbinates. After such a procedure, the vessels will no longer be able to expand, and accordingly, the mucous membrane will not swell. The unpleasant symptoms of chronic runny nose will disappear.
Surgery for rhinitis may involve changing the size of the turbinates, as a result of which breathing through the nose will be restored. This method is most often used against the background of drug therapy, carried out by submucosal types of exposure: ultrasound, laser and shaver conchotomy.
During vasotomy, an incision is made in the vessels located between the periosteum and the mucous membrane. This procedure stops blood accumulation, reduces the size of the nasal turbinates and eliminates tissue swelling.
This operation is performed under local anesthesia and takes no more than 10 minutes. Every year, surgeons resort to using a scalpel less and less. In modern medicine, more and more minimally invasive techniques are appearing: laser therapy, radiosurgery, electrosurgery.
These operations have a number of advantages:
firstly, blood loss is significantly reduced; secondly, these methods are antiseptic.
Any of these methods provides almost the same effect, but the procedures have different costs. The doctor decides which method to choose in this or that case.
Reviews about any type of radical intervention in the treatment of vasomotor rhinitis can be found on the Internet by going to the appropriate forum.
Types of operations
Surgery has several effective ways to treat nasal congestion. It is better to familiarize yourself with them if you plan to treat rhinitis surgically.
Conchotomy
This type of surgical intervention is the most radical and effective. Conchotomy should be performed only if no other treatment method has been effective.
This operation is also performed in parallel with septoplasty to correct a deviated nasal septum.
Before the procedure, the patient is scheduled for hospitalization. The operation is performed under general anesthesia or local anesthesia. The latter method is preferable, since sometimes blood aspiration occurs due to anesthesia.
During surgery for vasomotor rhinitis, the attending physician installs a special clamp in the nasal concha to prevent possible bleeding. After this, using special conchotomous scissors, he cuts out the inflamed area of the nasal concha. Particular attention is paid to the back of the nasal cavity, since this is where polyps appear. They try not to damage the front part so that atrophic rhinitis does not occur in the future. When all damaged tissue is removed, cavity tamponade is performed. This procedure is needed to stop bleeding.
After the operation, the patient is enrolled in a day hospital for further treatment. On the second day after the end of the conchotomy, the tampons are removed from the nasal cavity, and the surface of the mucous membrane is lubricated with hydrocortisone.
Laser therapy
Laser treatment for vasomotor rhinitis is often performed to clear the nasal cavity in adult patients. Laser treatment is not suitable for children, since it is better to use conservative treatment methods when cleaning the nasal passages of children.
To undergo laser intervention, the patient is hospitalized for 3–5 days. This method of treatment is much simpler than conchotomy and therefore only local anesthesia is used for its implementation. During laser therapy, the attending physician makes several points on the inferior nasal concha using a light guide. At the site of laser exposure, a thin colorless film is formed, under which the mucosal tissue heals.
When laser treatment for rhinitis is completed, the patient will still have to visit the ENT hospital for a week. Three days after completion of laser therapy, the doctor will remove the film and lubricate the nasal cavity with corticosteroid ointment to quickly heal the scars.
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Ultrasound treatment
For the treatment of infants and children under ten years of age, it is recommended to use the ultrasound method. This operation does not require the use of surgical instruments and is safe. For surgical treatment of vasomotor rhinitis with ultrasound, local anesthesia is used.
When ultrasonic waves begin to affect atrophied mucosal tissue, a certain part of its vessels begins to collapse. This leads to a decrease in the number of capillaries and elimination of swelling. In some cases, ultrasound treatment helps to get rid of the symptoms of rhinitis for just a few days, since such treatment does not completely remove atrophied vessels.
After completion of the ultrasound operation, the patient is prescribed painkillers and is prescribed rinsing of the nasal passages with saline solutions. After 5-7 days, nasal breathing should normalize.
Treatment of rhinitis with laser
In most cases, conservative treatment gives the patient only temporary relief. The most promising solution to the problem today is laser treatment of vasomotor rhinitis.
This minimally invasive procedure practically does not provoke the formation of scar tissue on the mucous membrane and in 90% of cases leads to a dramatic improvement after one session.
The advantage of the method is that it is painless and has no side effects. The operation is carried out in a non-contact manner and does not injure the mucous epithelium. Despite the fact that the effect can be already after one session, the patient must undergo a full therapeutic course (up to seven procedures).
Indications for laser therapy are:
Long-term ineffective treatment with vasoconstrictor drugs. Low vascular tone of the submucosal tissue. Inability to exclude the influence of the allergen (gas composition of the air, pollen of flowering plants). Addiction to medications.
After 6-7 sessions of laser treatment, patients note the absence of nasal congestion and the complete return of their sense of smell.
The essence of the procedure is to evaporate excess blood vessels in the nasal cavity. Evaporation is carried out under the influence of a carbon dioxide laser, as a result of which swelling is eliminated and the patency of the nasal passages is restored.
During the operation, the patient is given local anesthesia, then the light guide of the device is inserted into the nasal concha. Penetrating into the mucous membrane, the laser beam destroys blood vessels that prevent normal breathing through the nose.
The advantage of treating vasomotor rhinitis with the laser method is that the integrity of the nasal turbinates is not violated, the beam acts exclusively on the mucous membrane.
Vasomotor rhinitis can be effectively treated with laser radiation only if the operation is complete. That is, it is necessary to simultaneously remove polyps, adenoids, and growths of mucous epithelium in hypertrophic rhinitis.
If during the procedure only the nasal cavity is warmed up, it will not be possible to get rid of a runny nose. Scientific studies have proven that the effectiveness of such procedures can be compared with the placebo effect (read the corresponding forum).
Such treatment is prescribed exclusively for commercial purposes, since surgery with laser radiation is quite expensive and quickly makes a profit.
This kind of business often involves not only individual doctors, but also entire clinics.
Surgitron device for the treatment of rhinitis
At the SM-Clinic clinic in Moscow, ENT doctors have been successfully using lasers for many years to treat vasomotor rhinitis and not only the Surgitron radio wave apparatus, manufactured by Ellman International Inc., USA. Radio wave surgery is fundamentally different from cauterization, in which tissue damage can be comparable to a 3rd degree burn. Tissue destruction when exposed to radio waves is several times less than when using any other electrosurgical instrument. Since there is no trauma, healing occurs without postoperative pain and without the formation of a scar, a characteristic consequence of manual incisions.
When using radio wave exposure in the thickness of the nasal concha, intracellular fluid boils at a fairly low (about 80-C) temperature, which leads to a soft wrinkling of the cavernous tissue and, as a result, a decrease in its volume.
Often, the nasal concha contracts directly during the procedure for treating vasomotor rhinitis with a laser. And only after this does it begin to decrease in size. Sometimes this does not happen immediately, but, on the contrary, the shell swells for 3-5 hours and only after that does it begin to decrease in size, which usually lasts 2-3 days. To improve the treatment process for vasomotor rhinitis, we recommend completely abandoning the use of vasoconstrictor drops (which will inevitably lead to a “ricochet” effect and will only aggravate neurovegetative manifestations).
Early administration of injections of modern local nasal glucocorticosteroids (Flixonase, Nasobek, Nasonex), as well as systemic desensitizers (Claritin, Telfast) can quickly cope with swelling of the turbinate tissues and restore nasal breathing.
Considering that most of our patients suffer from vasomotor rhinitis for more than 5 years, after completing the course of therapy we monitor them for a year or more. A year later, a persistent positive result after submucosal radiocoagulation of the inferior turbinates is observed in 90% of patients.
Types of lasers and methods of their use
Laser treatment of vasomotor type rhinitis is carried out using two types of instruments.
A laser scalpel is a device with which you can make a thin and very accurate incision in living tissue. At the same time, moisture evaporates at the site of excision.
Thanks to this, the procedure is carried out with minimal blood loss, and the risk of infection is practically eliminated. For the surgical method, very powerful lasers are used, which provide high intensity effects on the tissue.
Low-power laser beams are used mainly to warm up the mucous epithelium of the nose and partially evaporate the cells of the mucous membrane. As a rule, the patient is given local anesthesia, but with a slight warm-up it is quite possible to do without anesthesia.
Next, emitters are inserted into the nasal passages. After this procedure, swelling of the mucous membrane is temporarily eliminated, and the space of the nasal turbinates increases.
A similar operation is performed in a hospital, but after a couple of hours the patient is sent home. At home, the patient must follow a special regime for 10 days. The procedure with a low-power laser is also performed in a hospital. Each session lasts 5-10 minutes, the course of treatment consists of 8-10 sessions.
How effective is this treatment? Treatment of rhinitis with a laser will be successful if certain conditions are met.
Rhinitis developed due to polyps or adenoids. These formations will be removed with a laser.
If a runny nose is caused by any other reason (hormonal surges, allergies), this problem cannot be solved even with the help of a laser knife.
In cases where rhinitis is caused by hypertrophy of the mucous epithelium, thanks to the laser it is possible to get rid of areas of overgrown tissue. However, this measure will provide only a temporary effect. Since the cause of hypertrophy itself will not be eliminated, most likely, the pathology will return after some time.
If doctors' statements that in 90% of cases a runny nose can be permanently cured with laser were true, there would not be so many people with this disease today. Low-power lasers provide only symptomatic therapy, which temporarily eliminates the manifestations of rhinitis. They cannot directly influence the cause of the disease.
Therefore, laser treatment of any runny nose is ineffective:
when trying to eliminate an allergic reaction caused by hay fever; with obstruction of the nasal passages due to a curvature of the nasal septum; with a neurovegetative form of runny nose caused by dysfunction of the thyroid gland; with inflammation caused by constant exposure to aggressive substances on the nasal mucosa.
Meanwhile, in the complex treatment of chronic vasomotor rhinitis, laser treatment can be used as a method for the rapid restoration of the mucous epithelium. After warming up the tissue and temporarily eliminating swelling, the following occurs:
the effect of drugs is enhanced; ventilation of the nasal passages improves; dry crusts peel off.
That is, as part of a therapeutic complex, treatment of vasomotor rhinitis using a low-power laser has a right to exist, but one should not place great hopes on it.
Types of lasers and their uses
When treating chronic runny nose with laser, two types of devices can be used:
- A laser scalpel is a device that allows you to make a very neat and thin cut (about 0.01 mm) of living tissue, while simultaneously evaporating moisture at the site of excision. Due to this, the operation is usually bloodless, and the risk of infection is practically eliminated. Largely due to this, the laser scalpel has become very popular when removing adenoids in children - recovery after such an operation is much faster. For operations, powerful lasers are used, providing high intensity effects on tissue;
Laser scalpel in working order
- Low power lasers used to heat the nasal mucosa and evaporate some of the cells of the mucous membrane. In this case, the patient is given local anesthesia (if the heating is not too strong, then they can do without it) and emitters are inserted into the nose. When the nasal mucosa is heated, the swelling subsides for a short time and the space in the nasal passages increases.
In the first case we are talking about laser surgery, and in the second - about laser therapy.
The operation to remove adenoids or polyps is performed in the hospital, but after a few hours the patient can be taken home. Here a special regime should be organized for him, which must be followed for 8-10 days.
Procedures with low-power lasers are also performed in the clinic. Typically, one cycle of therapy consists of 7-10 sessions of 5-10 minutes each, after which the patient can immediately return to normal life.
Laser therapy session
Why is laser therapy prescribed?
Firstly, doctors often consider laser treatment as an adjuvant therapy. Thanks to the effects of rays, the nasal mucosa is restored much faster. This occurs by reducing swelling and normalizing trophism.
The therapeutic effect of laser radiation for vasomotor rhinitis is due to the normalization of transcapillary metabolism in the mucous epithelium of the nasal cavity. This process ensures restoration of tissue homeostasis, elimination of edema and swelling.
For chronic vasomotor rhinitis, laser therapy must be used in anti-inflammatory doses. For subatrophic rhinitis, laser treatment is carried out to complement the main drug treatment. In this case, the use of laser therapy in isolation from medications will not bring any results.
Secondly, the placebo effect cannot be canceled either. For many patients, it is psychologically very important to attend medical procedures and then share their suffering with their friends and relatives. Sometimes patients do not believe in recovery unless the treatment is very expensive.
Laser therapy procedures solve this problem: the patient must visit the clinic every day, spend some time in a chair, and pay for expensive treatment. Naturally, after going through all these “circles” his faith in a positive result becomes much stronger.
But the main reason why doctors prescribe laser treatment is the huge income generated by clinics and their staff. The first laser therapy session costs approximately 10-12 thousand rubles, the next - 6-8 thousand rubles. This is the cost of a 5-10 minute laser glow in the nose. It is quite clear that such a clinic has considerable income.
Treatment of vasomotor rhinitis in Moscow
The main cause of vasomotor rhinitis lies in dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system.
Traditionally, in the treatment of chronic vasomotor rhinitis, doctors use methods that act directly on the diseased organ (that is, the nose). The patient is prescribed vasoconstrictor drops, hormonal and antihistamines, etc. However, this approach to treatment does not eliminate the main cause of the disease – dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system.
As a result, the patient will sooner or later experience relapses.
The advantage of centrotherapy over other treatment methods
Centrotherapy solves this problem by eliminating not the manifestations of vasomotor rhinitis, but its root cause. Thus, the restoration of nasal breathing occurs due to the elimination of autonomic disorders.
While undergoing a course of treatment in our clinic, the patient feels relief in breathing after 2-3 sessions, and by the end of treatment (usually 10 sessions are enough), all manifestations of vasomotor rhinitis disappear, and nasal breathing is completely restored. In addition, centrotherapy prevents possible relapses.
The undoubted advantages of centrotherapy include:
- safety;
- painlessness;
- no side effects;
- visible results after the first sessions;
- the possibility of treating several diseases at once.
Our clinic’s specialists will help you get rid of vasomotor rhinitis and the pathological mechanisms that support its progression. It's time to breathe deeply, sign up for innovative treatment!
