Those who suffer from chronic sinusitis know what a nightmare it can be. Your nasal passages are pressurized, closed off and sore. You can’t breathe, your head feels swollen and painful. The condition can be caused by any number of factors, from allergies to environmental concerns to anatomical issues. A minimally invasive procedure exists to clear up chronically inflamed sinuses and is growing in popularity amongst ENT doctors.
Sinusitis affects almost 37 million Americans every year. This inflammation of the sinus membranes causes pain and pressure in the forehead, cheeks and around the eyes. It creates pounding headaches, congestion, blockage, swelling, discharge and can even include coughing and a low grade fever.
In most cases, the common cold is what starts a patient on the road to sinusitis. As congestion and inflammation from the cold block up sinus openings, drainage becomes difficult and infections develop. Those with conditions such as polyps, a deviated septum or allergies are at increased risk.
Balloon sinuplasty is a procedure during which a specialized catheter is fed into the nasal cavity and a small balloon inflated within. This opens up the sinus cavity and allows normal drainage to resume. The procedure is minimally invasive, requires no cutting of tissue or bone and the recovery time is fast, with patients generally returning to normal function the day after the procedure is complete.
The procedure can be performed right in your doctor’s office as an out-patient procedure and often may be covered by insurance. The process itself can take as little as half an hour, and the sense of relief can be instant for the patient. Well over 160,000 patients have seen such relief using this procedure, and more take advantage of it every day.
While every patient has to be evaluated on their own individual circumstances, the use of balloon sinuplasty is growing in popularity. The latest technology allows computerized imaging to help to direct and guide the scope for an even faster and more accurate procedure. Because in many cases the procedure can be completed in as little as 30 minutes, it is a very attractive option for those who suffer with chronic sinusitis.
It is important to note that patients who suffer from certain conditions such as a severe deviated septum or nasal polyps are not good candidates for balloon sinuplasty, which relies upon relatively normal sinus passages to function correctly. Patients who have these conditions should seek treatment for the underlying problems before seeking resolution to their chronic sinusitis symptoms.
Are you in the Atlanta area and suffer from chronic sinusitis, sinus headaches, pain or pressure? Have conventional and more conservative treatments failed to address the issue? If so, we may be able to help with an evaluation and outpatient procedures. Take a look at the informational pages about the services we offer for treating sinusitis with balloon sinuplasty, and then drop us a line for an evaluation today
