Abstract:
Chronic hypertrophic rhinitis in children is a common pathology associated with inferior
turbinate hypertrophy, persistent nasal obstruction, and impaired quality of life. Surgical
interventions to reduce turbinate volume, such as diode laser and bipolar cautery, are widely
used, but postoperative inflammation and mucosal regeneration can be prolonged. Autologous
cell therapy represents a promising regenerative approach to accelerate tissue healing.
Objective – to evaluate the effectiveness of postoperative autologous mononuclear cell
therapy in the rehabilitation of children with chronic hypertrophic rhinitis following surgical
treatment.
Methods. The study was prospective, interventional, and comparative, conducted on a
group of 40 children aged 7 to 17 years diagnosed with chronic hypertrophic rhinitis. Patients
were divided into four groups (n = 10/group): diode laser (DL), diode laser + cell therapy
(DL+CT), bipolar cautery (BC), and bipolar cautery + cell therapy (BC+CT). Cell therapy
consisted of the postoperative local administration of a suspension of autologous mononuclear
cells obtained from peripheral blood. The evaluation included the NOSE symptom score,
rhinomanometry, acoustic rhinometry and endoscopic examination. The follow-up period was 24
months.
Results. All groups showed postoperative clinical improvement. The cell therapy groups
demonstrated a significantly faster and more stable reduction in symptoms, with a decrease in
the NOSE score to 14.0 ± 4.0 in the DL+CT group at 24 months, compared to 30.0 ± 6.0 in DL and
36.0 ± 7.0 in BC. Nasal resistance decreased more sharply in the cell therapy groups, and the
incidence of persistent edema, crusting and relapses was lower.
Conclusions. Autologous cell therapy applied postoperatively accelerates the regeneration
of the nasal mucosa and improves functional outcomes in children with chronic hypertrophic
rhinitis, with maximum efficiency in combination with diode laser.