The efficacy and safety of radiofrequency ablation for allergic rhinitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: This systematic review aims to synthesise findings from randomised, controlled trials and assess the efficacy and safety of radiofrequency ablation in treating allergic rhinitis.

Methods: A thorough search was conducted across PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang, Chinese Scientific Journal, and Chinese Biomedical Literature databases from their inception until October 2023. The primary outcome measure was the total effective rate, with secondary outcomes including adverse events.

Results: This review included 15 randomised, controlled trials involving 1430 patients. The pooled analysis revealed a statistically significant effect on the total effective rate (odds ratio = 3.27, 95 per cent confidence interval = 2.37 to ~4.51). However, no statistical significance was observed in adverse events (odds ratio = 1.18, 95 per cent confidence interval = 0.67 to ~2.08).

Conclusions: Based on the analytical results, radiofrequency ablation emerges as an efficacious and safe treatment modality for allergic rhinitis. Given the constraints posed by a limited sample size, it is imperative that forthcoming clinical trials adhere rigorously to the gold standard of randomised, controlled trials for the purpose of corroborating these conclusions.