Although surgery does not cure allergic rhinitis, you may need it to fix a physical defect of the nose or sinuses. Problems such as these can make allergic rhinitis more difficult to treat. You and your doctor should not consider surgery unless other treatments have failed.

Possible surgeries include:

• Endoscopic surgery on your nose to correct a crooked nose (deviated nasal septum) or remove noncancerous (benign) nasal polyps. For information on nasal endoscopic surgery, see the topic Sinusitis.
• Draining fluid from the middle ear (tympanotomy or myringotomy) or inserting tubes to help the ears drain (tympanostomy). This is sometimes done in children who have allergic rhinitis and ear infections. For a description of these surgeries, see the topic Ear Infections.