Sinusitis Surgeries Revealed
Sinusitis is the inflammation of the sinuses which may be caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses or allergies. Common symptoms of sinusitis include nasal obstruction, headache, weak sense of smell, pain around the nasal area and post-nasal drip.
Sinusitis can sometimes be cured by over the counter medicines like antihistamines or decongestants. Sometimes prescription antibiotics may be required. Sometimes however, there are cases when a patient just doesn’t respond to these medications and must undergo a form of sinus surgery to alleviate sinusitis.
The typical sinus surgery involves a removing dead sinus tissue and or enlarging the sinus passage. Normally this is enough to create a pathway for the nasal passage to drain properly removing the nasal infection.
There are two main types of sinus surgeries that are considered with one that is reserved if either of the two don’t work for one reason or another. The first is called functional endoscopic sinus surgery or FESS for short. During FESS, endoscopes are used to remove dead tissue that is blocking the drainage of an infection.
The second type of sinus surgery is newer and has found favor among many surgeons. It usually results in faster operation and recovery time frames which is the reason patients and surgeons alike prefer this method if at all possible. Called balloon sinuplasty because of the use of a deflated balloon, this type of sinus surgery requires surgeons to guide the deflated balloon into the nasal passage. Once the balloon is situated far enough into the blocked sinus cavity, the balloon is inflated opening up passage way and allowing the infection waste to drain as it should.
Although FESS and balloon sinuplasty are preferred methods of treating sinusitis, sometimes a third more invasive type of surgery is required. This technique known as the Caldwell-Luc Method, requires a small incision to the upper gum area. Once the incision has been made, the dead sinus tissue is removed and the opening serves as a drain for the infected fluid.
Technological advancement has improved all surgeries in the past few decades, and this is no exception with sinus surgery. Recovery times and costs have both decreased significantly, so if over the counter or prescription medicines don’t alleviate your sinusitis symptoms, sinus surgery is not a bad choice.
Luckily, because sinus surgeries are typically covered by health insurances and the resolution of sinusitis symptoms is so welcome, patients typically do not hesitate to move forward with this type of surgery. Call your surgeon and get the relief and peace of mind that comes from sinus surgery.
Dr. Wilson is a Dallas nasal surgery plastic surgeon. He has been practicing for over 15 years and serves patients from all over the world.
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