Chronic and recurring sinus infections are quite dangerous in that they impair your breathing and cause pain that affects your daily chores. You can start by using some medication to treat sinusitis and provide symptomatic relief. However, if the available treatment options fail, permanent relief can be achieved through sinus surgery performed by either an ear, nose, or throat doctor in Houston, TX. Get to understand more about sinus surgery.
When do you need sinus surgery?
In most cases, sinus surgery is always recommended after one has used conservative treatment to treat sinusitis, and no solution is attained where the infections recur. The most effective and commonly performed procedures are functional endoscopic surgery and balloon sinuplasty.
What happens during balloon sinuplasty?
Generally, balloon sinuplasty is a medically approved non-surgical procedure mainly performed by your physician using general or local anesthesia. This procedure is also similar to angioplasty in that small balloons are used to open your clogged veins. After injecting anesthesia into your system and you have fallen asleep, the care provider then inserts a balloon catheter into your inflamed sinus via your nostril. Once the balloon is placed, the specialist inflates it, and the pressure exerted onto your sinus re-opens the blocked sinuses. Doing so allows them to start draining normally once more and restructure themselves.
The health care provider finally irrigates your sinuses and the surrounding area using normal saline solution to help get rid of trapped mucus and pus. After ensuring that your sinus is clean and open, the doctor deflates the balloon catheter to remove it. Since the procedure is non-surgical, minimal downtime is required, allowing you to resume your daily chores a day or two after the procedure.
What are the advantages of balloon sinuplasty?
There are various benefits of balloon sinuplasty, including quick recovery, no incisions or surgery, eliminating the need for other treatments, allowing you to breathe normally immediately after the procedure. It can also be used with other treatments when needed.
What happens during functional endoscopic sinus surgery?
Functional endoscopic sinus surgery is usually performed to treat sinusitis and fix structural abnormalities found in the nose. The above procedure is always recommended when the health care provider thinks that your sinusitis might be due to excess bone or tissue clogging your sinuses. During this procedure, the doctor can also remove benign nasal polyps through polypectomy or reduce distended obstructive turbinates, which are the structures responsible for cleaning and humidifying the nasal air.
What are the advantages of functional endoscopic sinus surgery?
Functional endoscopic sinus surgery is a minimally invasive procedure mainly performed as an alternative to nasal surgery. Its advantages are less bleeding, smaller incisions, no external scarring, long-lasting effectiveness, less tissue removal, low risk of complications, and short recovery time.
Therefore, if you have taken conservative treatment to help treat sinusitis and no improvement is noted, you can opt to undergo Houston surgery for a permanent solution. Both balloon sinuplasty and functional endoscopic surgery are performed depending on your unique need and case. You can book your appointment online or call their offices today for more consultation.