Patients suffering from chronic sinusitis who don’t find relief through medication often need surgery to relieve symptoms. Balloon SinuplastyTM is a minimally-invasive procedure which widens sinus tissue without cutting or removal.
This procedure may be performed either in a physician’s office or an Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC), most often with the aid of either a straight or angled rigid nasal endoscope.
1. CT Scan
Balloon Sinuplasty is an in-office procedure that involves flushing sinus passageways with saline solution and opening blocked nasal passageways with a tiny balloon catheter. The procedure requires local anesthesia; during it a wire or probe with an inflatable balloon is guided into a sinus cavity by image-guided CT scan, whereupon its inflation – similar to how stents open up arteries – gently reconfigured bones of sinuses for better drainage.
Minimally invasive sinus procedures have proven to offer lasting relief. After treatment, many patients report reduced sinus congestion, improved quality of life and fewer infections; furthermore, several studies have proven that sinus passageways remain open following treatment.
As part of a telemedicine consultation, your otolaryngologist will gather a complete history and conduct a physical exam of the head and neck area. They may review any previous tests like allergy tests, CT scans of the nose and throat or nasal endoscopie in order to assess your anatomy; this evaluation process helps them decide if balloon sinuplasty is right for you or another treatment option is needed.
Balloon sinuplasty may be covered under your insurance plan, though exact coverage depends on your insurance company, plan type and geography. Your otolaryngologist will check with your provider prior to scheduling the procedure to gain accurate information on its benefits, coverage costs and restrictions such as co-payments or deductibles that may apply as well as help you manage paperwork if needed or recommend an experienced surgeon who can perform it if required.
2. Endoscopy
An endoscopy allows your doctor to see directly into your sinus openings, providing them with the opportunity to monitor healing, anticipate future sinus issues and sample any infected mucus for culture. An endoscope is a thin tube equipped with lights and cameras which can be introduced through openings like your mouth, intestine or urethra or through small cuts in your body.
Your doctor can use an endoscope to view inside of the sinus openings and use this information to determine if balloon sinuplasty would benefit you. If this treatment option is chosen for you, it will help your sinuses drain better while keeping pain, swelling, congestion and headaches at bay.
Balloon sinuplasty is a minimally invasive surgery performed either at your doctor’s office or an ambulatory surgical center under local or general anesthesia. Before beginning, your physician will use topical medication to decongest your nose before injecting numbing medicine directly into sinus areas for maximum comfort during this procedure. Once underway, they’ll use endoscopes to inspect for blockages within your sinuses.
Your doctor will use a balloon catheter to gradually inflate the sinus openings and unblock passageways, clearing away thick mucus that is contributing to your symptoms and flushing out pus or any other materials causing discomfort. Once flushed with saline solution and clean, they’ll then take steps to flush and rinse the sinuses thoroughly while simultaneously flushing them clean of pus. After flushing and cleansing are complete, your balloon catheter will be taken out and you will receive instructions regarding recovery, including possible bleeding or bloody nose fluid that should be controlled with pain medication prescribed by doctors.
3. Blood Tests
Balloon sinuplasty is a minimally invasive solution to chronic sinusitis that does not involve nasal packing or stitches – unlike traditional surgeries which necessitate hospital or ASC operating room time for healing.
Patients suffering from chronic sinusitis often find that medications and other treatment options do not provide them with relief, or have side effects which make use unpleasant. Because many of these treatments fail to offer long-term relief or increase risk profiles leading to frequent infections, some seek more permanent solutions such as surgery as an option.
Though various surgical techniques can be employed to address chronic sinusitis, the most frequently utilized is endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). This method eliminates inflammation and obstruction to restore normal drainage pathways for optimal sinus functioning and drainage pathways – typically yielding long-lasting relief with immediate symptom relief and improvement.
Over the past decade, however, a less invasive form of sinus surgery known as balloon sinuplasty has gained increasing traction with both patients and physicians alike – it’s called balloon sinuplasty – with results being impressive for chronic sinusitis that doesn’t respond to antibiotics therapy. The procedure can also help eliminate headaches.
Your ENT will take a comprehensive approach when consulting via telemedicine, taking an extensive medical history review and conducting a full head and neck exam, reviewing any allergy tests or CT scan results you’ve undergone and discussing any CT scan findings or allergy testing results with you before determining if balloon sinuplasty is appropriate as treatment option for you.
If balloon sinuplasty is your chosen procedure, you will be asked to sign a consent form and provide any relevant insurance details. In addition, you will be advised on how best to prepare for surgery, including what food and drinks may or may not be consumed prior to beginning.
4. Ear Exam
Balloon sinuplasty is a minimally invasive sinus procedure which uses a balloon catheter to open inflamed nasal passages. Usually performed in an office-based setting under both local anesthesia and topical (sprayed) anesthesia, it is relatively new among ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeons; yet has proven durable over time.
Prior to having this procedure performed, your ENT will conduct an in-depth evaluation of your eligibility for it. This may involve gathering details about your symptoms and medical history as well as performing an exam and review of previous tests as well as nasal endoscopy to examine anatomy. Some individuals with specific conditions (like heart or lung issues or medications) or medications may not be good candidates; your ENT may suggest trying medical therapy first to see if that helps instead.
Your ENT may conduct a tympanometry and acoustic reflex test to evaluate your hearing. In these exams, a soft plug will be inserted in your ear and manipulated with increasing or decreasing pressure, noise-making noise and tracking movements of the eardrum to assess whether or not your tympanic membrane remains intact or has perforations as a result of infection, cholesteatoma, barotrauma or any other trauma. These exams can indicate whether or not this test can show up by showing changes in pressure, making noise and tracking movements of the eardrum, which indicates whether or not perforations exists due to infection, cholesteatoma, barotrauma or any other trauma causing perforations of some sort.
Your ENT will also assess your otologic history and perform a visual inspection of your ears, head, neck and face using a printable Ear Exam Template during their visit to document their findings – such as patient information, visual inspection notes, otoscope findings, diagnoses and treatment plans – providing a consistent and thorough exam as well as providing a permanent record of it all. Additional tests such as free-field hearing test, perilymphatic fistula test or tuning forks may be needed in some cases to identify causes of sinusitis and diagnose it further.
5. Physical Exam
After reviewing your history, your physician will perform a head and neck exam with nasal endoscopy. If he or she believes you to be suitable for Balloon Sinuplasty, a detailed treatment plan will be laid out describing its risks and benefits as well as details on any necessary procedures or invasive surgeries that might need to be performed prior to starting Balloon Sinuplasty treatment.
On the day of your procedure, you will be asked to lie comfortably in a procedure room. A topical nose spray will then be sprayed into your nostrils before local anesthesia (typically lidocaine) injections are given into the sinus areas. After this has taken effect, a balloon catheter will be gently placed into your sinus opening and slowly inflated under endoscopic view in order to open all blocked sinuses and flush away debris that might obstruct passageways with saline fluid in order to prevent future obstructions from thick mucus accumulations or obstruction.
When the balloon is inflated, patients may feel slight pressure and hear a crackling sound; however, most patients report no pain when inflating it. Once sinuses have been opened up successfully, it will be removed and discarded.
After your procedure, saline rinses may be provided as homecare to clear away the residual mucus and debris that causes congestion. If symptoms persist after this step has been taken, follow-up visits can be scheduled with our office if necessary. Patients treated with balloon sinuplasty typically recover quickly and return to their daily lives quickly while those suffering from serious structural issues such as deviated septum or nasal polyps may require alternative surgeries in addition or as replacement options to balloon sinuplasty.
