Objective and Subjective Outcomes Following Radiofrequency of Inferior Turbinates in Patients with Sleep-Disordered Breathing

Background: Nasal obstruction is a frequent problem amongst patients with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). Radiofrequency of the inferior turbinates (RFIT) is commonly utilized for inferior turbinate (IT) reduction but its effectiveness in SDB patients remains unproven. We aim to evaluate long-term objective and subjective nasal, olfactory and sleep outcomes following RFIT in SDB patients. Methods: Patients were assessed at baseline (T0) and at 3 months (T1), 6 months (T2) and 12 months (T3) following RFIT. At T0, T1, T2 and T3, the patients underwent objective assessments of their nasal airways and smell function and an evaluation of their quality-of-life, sinonasal, olfactory and sleep symptoms. Sleep studies were carried out at T0 and T2. Results: Seventeen patients (with a median age of 42 years) underwent RFIT. A statistically significant objective and subjective improvement of the patients' nasal airways was demonstrated at T1. No other statistically significant changes were observed in the patients' nasal airways, smell, sleep study parameters or patient-reported outcomes at the other follow-ups. A multivariate analysis confirmed a statistically significant influence of age (older), sex (male), a higher BMI, the presence of septal deviation and the presence of allergic rhinitis in some of the studies' parameters. A statistically significant objective and subjective improvement of the patients' nasal airways was confirmed in the fitted model when considering the influence of the available variables. Conclusions: Our study confirms that the benefits of RFIT alone in SDB patients are limited and possibly only in the short-term period. Patient-related variables can potentially influence the final outcomes.