Sinus Surgery - Are you a candidate?

Many people with sinus conditions respond well to medical treatment including antibiotics or other medications, allergy treatment or environmental changes such as smoking cessation. If you do not respond to medical treatment, you may be a candidate for a sinus surgical procedure.

Sinus Disease - Symptoms

Sinus disease symptoms may include:

• Facial pain
• Breathing difficulty
• Post-nasal discharge
• Persistent bad smell in nose
• Hoarseness, cough and occasional headaches

What to Expect

Our physicians will do a thorough examination in our office that many times will include a CT scan of the sinuses to accurately assess the specific areas involved. CT scanning can be done in our central location allowing a review of the results on the same or next day.

If surgery is indicated, your procedure will be scheduled on a date convenient for you. In most cases, the surgery will be performed on an outpatient basis, but hospital admission is sometimes necessary.

You can expect your first office follow-up visit within one or two weeks following the procedure and a second follow-up within six weeks.

Types of Sinus Surgery

• Functional Endoscopic - most common type utilizing small telescopes and microdebriders allowing for less trauma and less recovery time.
• Image Guided Functional Endoscopic - allows for a precise visualization of the anatomy of the paranasal sinuses. Uusally indicated for patients with more extensive disease or patients who have had previous sinus surgery.
• Balloon sinuplasty - utilizes a "balloon" device to open blocked sinuses, many times without the need for tissue or bone removal resulting in reduced bleeding and less post-op discomfort.

After the Procedure

You may experience some bloody post-nasal discharge over the two months following surgery. This is a normal occurrence and should improve slowly over time. It is important to NOT blow your nose during the five-day period following your procedure.

Other post-op risks include:

• Bleeding - requiring nasal packing and sometimes hospital admission.
• Stroke or cerebral spinal fluid leak causing meningitis - very rare, but could cause extended hospital stay and additional surgery for its closure, should it not close spontaneously.
• Eye injury - some swelling or bruising of the area around the eye may occur, very rarely temporary or prolonged double vision or blindness.
• Numbness or discomfort in the upper front teeth.
• Temporary facial swelling - caused by blowing your nose in the early post-op period.
• Decreased sense of smell.
• Persistent sinus disease after surgery.

Sinus Research

Helping to ensure that our physicians utilize the latest state-of-the art medical and surgical treatment of sinus disease, our Clinical Research Division performs clinical research trials for new medications and devices being developed in the treatment of sinus disease.

Our Physicians