Surgical and Pharmacological Management of Rhinitis
Summary
Rhinitis encompasses a spectrum of inflammatory nasal conditions, including allergic, non-allergic and mixed forms, that manifest with nasal obstruction, rhinorrhoea, sneezing and pruritus. First-line pharmacological approaches employ antihistamines, intranasal corticosteroids and anticholinergic agents to attenuate mucosal inflammation and glandular hypersecretion. Immunotherapy is reserved for allergen-driven disease. In cases of persistent symptoms refractory to medical treatment, surgical modalities are considered. These include modification of nasal anatomy via turbinate reduction or septoplasty to enhance airflow, as well as targeted neural interventions such as vidian or posterior nasal neurectomy to disrupt parasympathetic innervation and reduce secretory activity. More recent techniques such as endoscopic cryoablation offer minimally invasive ablation of hyperactive nerve fibres. Integrated management aims to optimise symptom control, improve quality of life and reduce reliance on long-term medication.
Research from Nature Portfolio
No recent Nature Portfolio content available.
Surgical and Pharmacological Management of Rhinitis publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in surgical and pharmacological management of rhinitis across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Posterior nasal neurectomy: Surgical transection or removal of parasympathetic nerve fibres supplying the inferior turbinate to reduce mucosal secretion and hyperresponsiveness.
Cryoablation: Localised freezing of tissue to ablate nerve fibres, typically via intranasal application, aimed at reducing neural input to the nasal mucosa.
Intranasal corticosteroid: Topical anti-inflammatory medication delivered directly to the nasal mucosa to suppress cytokine production and reduce mucosal swelling.
Anticholinergic agent: Pharmacological compound that inhibits muscarinic receptors to decrease glandular secretions, used topically to control rhinorrhoea.
References
- Cryoablation for the treatment of chronic rhinitis: a systematic review. Journal of Otolaryngology (2023).
- Efficacy of the posterior nasal nerve resection combined with hormone transnasal nebulization on difficult-to-treat rhinosinusitis: a retrospective analysis. Brazilian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology (2024).
- Effect of topical anticholinergic medication on clinical manifestations control among patients with vasomotor rhinitis versus allergic rhinitis: as comparative clinical trials. The Egyptian Journal of Otolaryngology (2023).
Turn complex research questions into confident strategic decisions
When you're under pressure to set direction, justify investment, or understand your competitive position, you need more than raw data — you need trusted insights you can act on.
Benchmark your performance against global peers using robust, methodologically sound analysis.
Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative expert insight to uncover strengths, gaps and emerging opportunities.
Gain tailored, decision-ready recommendations aligned to your strategic priorities.
Talk to us to learn more about our data dashboards and bespoke strategy reports.
Grow research skills, confidence and careers with training built for every stage of the research lifecycle.
Developed with Nature Portfolio journal Editors and internationally renowned experts. Discover three ways to learn:
Self-paced, online courses in convenient bite-sized units, covering key skills across scientific writing, publishing, grant writing, data analysis, and more.
Expert trainer-led workshops with hands-on exercises and real-time feedback across core research skills, delivered via interactive group sessions.
Editor-led workshops combining core principles in writing and publishing, personalised 1:1 feedback from Nature Portfolio Editors and hands-on exercises.
Explore course catalogues and workshop agendas, enquire about the options or request institutional pricing.