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Sponsored by: |
Weill Medical College of Cornell University |
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Information provided by: | Weill Medical College of Cornell University |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT00358267 |
Turbinates are large structures in the nasal airway that help the nose to clean and humidify the air we breathe. Inferior turbinates can swell up and block the breathing passage, making it hard to breath. To address this, turbinate size must be reduced.
This study looks at two common procedures for turbinate reduction:
While both procedures improve nasal obstruction, no study has directly compared which is more effective.
Eighty patients being treated for septal deformity and turbinate hypertrophy will be randomly chosen for either PRIT or RFA treatment. They will fill out a simple, five question survey that measures how they view their nasal blockage 4 times in one year. We believe that since PRIT permanently removes a part of the turbinate, PRIT patients will report more improvement than RFA patients one year later. We believe that complications (measured by the doctor) will be the same for both treatments.
Condition | Intervention |
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Nasal Obstruction Septal Deformity Turbinate Hypertrophy |
Procedure: Partial Resection of Inferior Turbinates (PRIT) Procedure: Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) |
Study Type: | Interventional |
Study Design: | Treatment, Randomized, Open Label, Uncontrolled, Parallel Assignment, Efficacy Study |
Official Title: | A Randomized Trial Comparing Two Surgical Techniques for Inferior Turbinate Reduction |
Estimated Enrollment: | 80 |
Study Start Date: | July 2006 |
Estimated Study Completion Date: | July 2010 |
Estimated Primary Completion Date: | July 2009 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure) |
Arms | Assigned Interventions |
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RFA: Active Comparator
Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) involves inserting a special needle into the inferior (lower) turbinate that releases high frequency energy, which produces heat. The energy and heat cause tissue denaturation (protein damage) and vaporization. The vaporization reduces tissue volume, and denaturation causes healing with scar tissue formation and contraction of surrounding tissue. This procedure can be done under local anesthesia at the doctor's office.
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Procedure: Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)
RFA involves inserting a special needle into the inferior (lower) turbinate that releases high frequency energy, which produces heat. The energy and heat cause tissue denaturation (protein damage) and vaporization. The vaporization reduces tissue volume, and denaturation causes healing with scar tissue formation and contraction of surrounding tissue. This procedure can be done under local anesthesia at the doctor's office.
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PRIT: Active Comparator
Partial Resection of Inferior Turbinate (PRIT) involves surgically removing a small piece off the turbinate, which also reduces its size.
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Procedure: Partial Resection of Inferior Turbinates (PRIT)
PRIT involves surgically removing a small piece off the turbinate, which also reduces its size.
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Subjective nasal obstruction is usually caused by intranasal anatomic obstruction. A critical area is the anterior nasal valve, and nasal septal deformity and inferior turbinate hypertrophy often combine to produce symptomatic obstruction at the anterior valve.
Surgical treatments to reduce turbinate size and also to correct nasal septal deformity have been shown to be effective at improving nasal obstruction. While many studies have demonstrated the improvements after surgery, most prior studies assessed outcome using non-validated questionnaires, or primitive measures such as a single-item rating scale.
There is now a validated, patient-based, outcome instrument to assess nasal obstruction, which is valid, reliable, and sensitive: the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) scale (Stewart, Witsell, et al). This brief and easy to complete instrument is a valid measure of the patient's perception of nasal obstruction. A multi-center prospective study using the NOSE scale showed that septoplasty alone resulted in significant improvement in nasal obstruction, and septoplasty with PRIT had an even larger improvement in nasal obstruction, although the difference did not reach statistical significance because of sample size (Stewart, Smith, et al). Nevertheless, turbinate reduction appeared to have some additive effect on symptomatic improvement, which is a clinical findings that has been noted by surgeons for many years.
The techniques of inferior turbinectomy have evolved over time. Initially, partial or even total resection of the inferior turbinate was performed. However, total inferior turbinate resection was found to have a high rate of several long-term complications, including excessive dryness (rhinitis sicca), atrophic rhinitis, crusting, bleeding, etc. (Moore GF, Moore EJ), and this technique is generally not performed today. By extension, many surgeons have been concerned about the potential sequelae of partial inferior turbinectomy, even though large prospective series have demonstrated excellent outcomes and minimal complications from the PRIT technique (Fanous, Ophir, Grymer, Stewart/Smith).
Several alternative techniques for turbinate volume reduction - that do not involve full-thickness resection of a portion of the turbinate - have been reported, and all seem to be effective in single-modality series (Nease, Bhattacharyya, Utley, Li). In fact, anecdotally many surgeons claim that RFA is as effective as PRIT. In addition, radiofrequency techniques can be performed under local anesthesia in the office setting, which increases the ease of use. While RFA is appealing because it can be performed under local anesthesia, the improved ease of use must be weighed against the potential for lower effectiveness, since tissue is not removed. There are no data from direct comparative studies, probably partly because there has not been a validated outcome tool available.
Therefore, sufficient clinical equipoise exists to randomize patients to receive one of these two widely-accepted techniques.
Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years and older |
Genders Eligible for Study: | Both |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
Contact: L. Teresa Valderrama, MPH | 646-962-5399 | tev2002@med.cornell.edu |
United States, New York | |
Weill Medical College of Cornell University | Recruiting |
New York, New York, United States, 10021 | |
Contact: L. Teresa Valderrama, MPH 646-962-5399 tev2002@med.cornell.edu | |
Principal Investigator: Michael G. Stewart, MD, MPH | |
Sub-Investigator: Ashutosh Kacker, MD |
Principal Investigator: | Michael G Stewart, MD, MPH | Weill Medical College of Cornell University |
Responsible Party: | Weill Medical College of Cornell University ( Michael G. Stewart MD MPH ) |
Study ID Numbers: | 0603008446 |
Study First Received: | July 27, 2006 |
Last Updated: | March 6, 2008 |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT00358267 |
Health Authority: | United States: Institutional Review Board |
Inferior Turbinate Reduction Partial Resection of Inferior Turbinates (PRIT) Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) NOSE scale Nasal Obstruction |
Pathological Conditions, Anatomical Hypertrophy Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases Respiratory Insufficiency Nasal Obstruction |
Respiratory Tract Diseases Respiration Disorders Airway Obstruction Congenital Abnormalities |
Nose Diseases |