Your sinuses are a series of cavities located in your head, in areas around your eyes and nose, and lined with soft tissue called mucosa. There are four different sinuses connected in this network and while we don’t quite know the exact purpose of them, they are thought to help you humidify the air around you and help your voice. Problems that affect your sinuses are not generally serious but they can be painful, leading to headaches, inflammation, and nasal congestion.
Sinus conditions are extremely common, with 14% of the adult population dealing with sinusitis alone. Annually, 17% of women and 10% of men deal with this illness, and it leads to limiting daily activity for over 73 million people a year. Sinus problems that stem from structural issues, like blocked nasal passages are sometimes treated through surgical means, but balloon sinuplasty is a minimally invasive treatment that can relieve sinus problems without surgery.
Residents of the Lake Oswego, Oregon, area looking for relief from sinusitis or other sinus-related issues can get help from our expert medical team at Lake Grove ENT.
Sinusitis can be the result of several different conditions, including colds, seasonal allergies, polyps, and a deviated septum. In cases where sinusitis causes severe blockage, rather than performing a functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS), which is a treatment for serious sinus conditions that require removing tissue, bone, and other materials to clear sinuses, balloon sinuplasty uses a tiny balloon run through a catheter to expand in the sinuses to clear blockages.
There are several advantages to undergoing this treatment:
This is a method of getting clearer sinuses without incisions so no tissue or bone removal.
The process is done under general anesthetic and takes about an hour. After it’s finished, recovery time is shorter than with surgical procedures, but you will need to rest at home once it’s done.
There have been no noticeable side effects from the treatment, though you might experience minor bleeding within the first few days after.
This is an outpatient procedure, meaning once it is done and you’re feeling up to leaving, you can just go home. You’ll be given some basic instruction on aftercare (using a nasal rinse, avoid blowing your nose for up to two days, and the such) and you’ll need rest. But you can do all of it at home and enjoy clearer sinuses.
A multicenter study shows that the success rate of the treatment is over 95%, giving you a viable alternative to surgical treatments.
The process starts with conscious anesthetic (where you are awake for the whole treatment but not experiencing pain) and a topical decongestant is used to control bleeding. A local anesthetic is also used, then a catheter is inserted using an endoscope. This is used to guide the balloon to where it needs to go. Once the balloon is in your sinuses, it’s expanded slowly and gently to unblock your sinuses. This process may be repeated depending on the locations of the blockages.
You will be advised to avoid stressful activities for up to a week, and you may have follow-ups to check on how well your sinuses are doing with an endoscopy for up to a year. This method helps you get clear sinuses with no removal of tissue or bone. If you’re dealing with sinusitis, and you need help, make an appointment with the doctors and Lake Grove ENT today to get treated.
