Clinical and treatment aspects in chronic hypertrophic rhinitis in children

Background: Chronic hypertrophic rhinitis is a common problem in childhood and adolescence and has a negative impact on both physical, social and psychological well-being. Chronic hypertrophic rhinitis in the prevalence of children is 20-55%, and in the last 5 years this index is increasing. Material and methods: The study included 65 patients, aged 5 to 18 years, being hospitalized in the ENT department of the Emilian Cotaga Clinic of the Institute of Mother and Child, Chisinau, diagnosed with rhinitis complicated chronic hypertrophic over the years January 2018 – December 2020. The study was conducted by retrospective analysis of complicated data from clinical observation sheets and documents accompanying the data. Treatment methods studied: laser coagulation, electrocoagulation, radiofrequency, mucotomy. In most cases, lasercoagulation was chosen. Results: Nasal permeability in children with chronic hypertrophic rhinitis is altered in most cases. The most frequently affected age groups were 10-14 years with a rate of 61.53%, the majority being from urban living environment in 63.08%. The most representative clinical signs and symptoms according to this study are difficult nasal breathing in 96.93% and mouth breathing – 89.24%. From the indicated surgical methods, laser coagulation of the nasal cornets was performed in 47.7% of cases. It proved to be more effective and less invasive compared to electrocoagulation performed in 44.6% of cases and partial mucotomy in 4.62%. Conclusions: From the data obtained in the study, we opted for laser coagulation of the lower nasal horns, which has a faster healing period, shorter postoperative complications, greater acceptability from the doctor and patient.