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Abstract

Chronic hypertrophic rhinitis is one of the most common diseases in rhinology. Various surgical techniques are used to reduce hypertrophic changes in the inferior turbinates.The aim of our study is to determine the impact of plastic surgery of the lower nasal turbinates, performed by cryoablation or radiocoblation, on the patency of the Eustachian tube and to determine how long the waiting period should be for activities that particularly require patent ear tubes, such as traveling by plane.A total of 70 patients treated at the Department of Otolaryngology of the Military Institute of Aviation Medicine were qualifi ed for the study. Due to the technique of conchoplasty of the lower nasal turbinates, the patients were divided into two groups. Group I consisted of 35 patients, including 15 women and 20 men, aged 24 to 62 (mean 42.67 years), operated on by cryoablation. Group II also comprised 35 patients, including 12 women and 23 men, aged 29 to 69 (mean 44.21 years), operated on by radiocoblation.Plastic surgeries of the lower nasal turbinates, also known as conchoplasties, were performed under local anesthesia with a cryosurgery machine with the use of a nasal applicator and an apparatus for submucosal coblation with the use of radio waves. The patency of the Eustachian tube was assessed by tympanometry before the operation and 1, 2 and 3 weeks after the operation.