If medications fail to provide relief from sinusitis symptoms, sinus surgery may be an option. The goal of sinus surgery is to widen sinus passages and restore natural drainage.
Your doctor will use an FDA-cleared endoscopic catheter-based device with an inflatable balloon to slowly restructure and promote healing of sinus passageways.
Balloon Sinuplasty
Balloon Sinuplasty is a minimally invasive procedure used to treat chronic sinusitis. It involves inserting a thin catheter into one nostril, inflating it and creating an opening in the wall of the sinus cavity – helping drain and function normally for patients. Since it does not involve cutting away tissue or bone removal, patients typically experience less side effects and its implementation takes much less time.
Procedure is performed under local anesthesia or general anesthesia and in an outpatient setting, where a surgeon uses an endoscope to locate sinuses before using diseased tissue removal tools (including endoscope) and endoscope to clear away diseased bone or polyp obstructions that block them. Once all obstructions have been cleared away, packing the nose with gauze may help absorb any discharge that remains.
If you are eligible for the procedure, your doctor will discuss both its benefits and risks with you. Common side effects may include mild discomfort that can be treated with over-the-counter medication; runny nose; discolored nasal drainage or blood in your nasal drainage may occur; saline rinses can help alleviate these symptoms as well as reduce infection during recovery.
Balloon Sinuplasty can be an excellent treatment option for individuals suffering from persistent sinus infections who have not found relief with over-the-counter or prescription medicines. After surgery, many patients have reported significant improvements in both symptoms and quality of life. It’s important to keep in mind that sinus symptoms may not improve immediately; it could take several months before your sinuses fully heal. Following up with appointments is also key so your ear, nose and throat specialist can clean your nose and monitor your condition, recommend additional treatments or medication as necessary and provide recommendations regarding functional endoscopic sinus surgery that could provide a permanent solution to chronic sinusitis symptoms.
Septoplasty
The nasal septum is the piece of cartilage that divides the nasal cavity into two passages. When this structure becomes misshapen, breathing becomes restricted and sinus problems such as chronic infections or nosebleeds arise. A septoplasty procedure corrects any deviation in cartilage so airflow through the nose becomes easier.
Septoplasty surgery typically requires either local or general anesthetic and can be completed outpatient. Depending on the severity of deviation, septoplasty could take anywhere between 25 to 45 minutes to complete; no visible marks of bruising or swelling after the procedure as the surgery takes place through nostrils. When combined with rhinoplasty, aesthetic changes to external appearance of nose are also made during procedure.
Patients suffering from deviated septae may also suffer from nasal obstruction symptoms like nosebleeds, headaches and obstructive sleep apnea. Snoring mouthpieces, saline sprays and allergy medication can be used to address symptoms associated with their deviated septum; those unable to find relief through these measures might benefit from septoplasty or other procedures that address its underlying causes, like turbinate reduction and alar batten and spreader grafts for example.
Before recommending septoplasty, your physician will conduct a detailed medical history review and physical exam, taking photographs both inside and outside your nose as well as taking into consideration symptoms or other conditions which might interfere with its outcomes.
PROPEL Sinus Stent
Chronic sinusitis is characterized by inflammation, and now there is hope for sufferers of chronic sinusitis that they can break free of repeated surgery and symptoms with PROPEL’s stent implant. Clinical testing has demonstrated its efficacy at decreasing scarring and inflammation after sinus surgery to allow healing to advance, reduce oral steroids side effects significantly, and minimize or even eliminate future symptoms recurrences.
At the time of surgery, PROPEL stents are used to help keep sinus passages widening by holding back inflammation caused by your procedure and slowly releasing an anti-inflammatory steroid called mometasone furoate which helps reduce swelling, prevent sinus scarring and inflammation, as well as mucus buildup. According to two clinical studies using mometasone furoate-containing stents reduced post-surgery medical treatments by 65-70%.
This stent will not interfere with any medications you are currently taking and can be easily implanted under local anesthesia at the time of sinus surgery. Once in place, its only requirement to stay effective is regular and gentle sinus irrigations using Neilmed Sinus Rinse available from most pharmacies.
Within 30 to 45 days, the stent should start dissolving after supporting your sinus passages and helping them heal with anti-inflammatory medication. As it dissolves, small fragments may appear from within your nose but most patients won’t even notice that stent was ever there!
Those interested in discovering more about PROPEL may consult with an ear, nose and throat physician. Villa Rica Ear, Nose & Throat is one of a select few offices nationwide offering this innovative technology; use our Find a Physician tool on this page to locate physicians offering PROPEL in your area; please note that physicians listed are independent practices who do not represent opinions, endorsements or warranties from Intersect ENT or its parent company Allergan.
FESS
FESS is a surgical technique in which healthcare providers use nasal endoscopes to widen sinus passages and clear away blockages so mucus can drain. They may also remove nasal polyps and other tissue. FESS can help relieve chronic sinus problems like congestion and headaches while improving breathing and decreasing infections – healthcare providers usually recommend it as an option when other treatments fail to bring relief.
FESS is often combined with other sinus surgeries or conducted as the sole procedure, depending on your medical history and physical exam findings. Your ENT doctor may order imaging tests to check for structural blockages that might be contributing to symptoms in your sinuses that require further investigation.
Before your surgery, your ENT will provide instructions on how to prepare. They may suggest taking certain medications or giving up smoking prior to the procedure. They’ll also prepare you for what to expect afterward: you will rest in a recovery room until your anesthesia wears off.
After surgery, you may experience discomfort or bleeding. It is essential that any unusually heavy or slow bleeding be reported promptly to your healthcare provider as this could impede recovery and cause potential complications.
FESS involves having decongestant medication administered into your nose to alleviate pain and pressure, followed by opening of the maxillary sinus through its natural ostium, an elliptical opening located near the lower part of infundibulum. To increase opening in maxillary sinus space without injury to orbit and nasolacrimal duct. A punch forceps or powered debrider may then be used to widen opening.
After your surgeon removes infected tissue and bone from your sinuses and septum, he or she will affix gauze under your nose to catch drainage, changing it frequently when wet with drainage. Furthermore, they will instruct you to keep your head elevated while breathing through your mouth while providing you with painkillers as comfort measures.
