As many as 37 million Americans suffer from chronic sinusitis. Symptoms of sinusitis include nasal congestion, sinus pressure, headache, and postnasal drip.
Traditionally, treatment for sinusitis was limited to medicines such as decongestants, antibiotics, and antihistamines. Fairly recently, however, a new treatment for chronic sinusitis has emerged. Medications are effective for most patients, however for around a quarter of patients balloon may benefit greatly from this new treatment, called balloon sinuplasty.
Balloon sinuplasty is an endoscopic surgical procedure in which an ENT surgeon inserts a small, flexible tube into the patient’s nose. The tube is equipped with a balloon catheter that the surgeon inflates inside the sinus cavity, returning sinus function to normal. You may be familiar with balloon catheters from angioplasty procedures, in which a balloon catheter is inserted into a heart ventricle to open up narrow blood vessels.
When balloon sinuplasty was first developed it was performed on patients who were completely anesthetized. Today, ENT doctors are able to perform the procedure while the patient is still awake, drastically reducing procedure costs and recovery time.
Results of balloon sinuplasty are typically very good, with as many as 95% of patients finding relief and passageways that are open indefinitely.
For more information about balloon sinuplasty and other treatments for chronic sinusitis, contact the experts at OrlandoENT today.
