One of the most common health issues in America is sinusitis, which more than 35 million people in the United States will suffer from this year. Until fairly recently, sufferers of this chronic illness had only a few conventional routes to relief. Over the last decade qualified patients have a new treatment option in the form of the Balloon Sinuplasty procedure.
 
This procedure is a minimally invasive option that can be performed by an ENT physician in his or her office and typically does not require general anesthesia, and in most cases the patient is able to resume normal activities within one day. A quick call to your ENT physician will help determine if your condition qualifies you for this treatment while explaining the risks and benefits of this option. This solution can yield an efficient, long-term choice for certain patients, especially those who have symptoms that cannot be resolved with medication.
 
Preparation for Procedure
In most situations, Balloon Sinuplasty is performed in an office environment with a patient that is awake and aware of the procedure. In a study of more than 1,000 patients, the average time for the entire procedure was 73 minutes and none of the patients required an overnight stay at the hospital. However, under certain circumstances, the procedure may need to be handled in a hospital operating room. We would recommend speaking with your physician to understand the procedure schedule and any questions you may have.
Patients usually receive local anesthesia, which is injected regionally near the sites of the sinus. Any postoperative aches or discomfort are typically minimal, making recovery faster and less painful.

The Balloon Sinuplasty Procedure
There are four key steps in the Balloon Sinuplasty procedure.

1. First, a balloon catheter is inserted into the targeted sinus.
2. Next, the balloon is inflated to restructure and widen the wall of the sinus passageway, doing this without removing any tissue and while maintaining the integrity of the sinus lining.
3. Then, a small amount of saline is sprayed into the sinus to flush out any fluids.
4. Finally, the entire system is removed, leaving the sinuses open.

 
Various clinical data in leading medical ENT journals show that the Balloon Sinuplasty procedure is both safe and effective. It also shows that most patients experienced no adverse events directly related to the procedure and showed clinically significant improvement in many symptoms.
 
Post Operative Care
In most cases, normal activity can resume 24 hours after the procedure. However, there normally is mild discomfort, so take prescribed pain medication as needed as recommended by your physician.
 
Final Thoughts

The Balloon Sinuplasty is a low risk, brief procedure that can have lasting benefits for many patients. If you are interested in learning more about this treatment option, contact Lake Breeze ENT & Allergy for more information.
 

​Many patients have questions about the safety and effectiveness of the Balloon Sinuplasty procedure. To understand the safety involved, it is important to take a look back at how this procedure began. This relatively new method used in rhinology, a subset of ENT medicine, has noticeably benefitted many patients with sinus issues. Based on technology originally used in cardiology, the Balloon Sinuplasty is founded upon the idea that ENT surgeons can re-establish the natural processes of the sinuses that contribute to the disease process by releasing any blockages. Since 2005, Balloon Sinuplasty technology has been commercially available and was released to treat chronic sinusitis.
 
Overall, the concept of Balloon Sinuplasty is pretty simple. It involves using a small wire to pass through the nasal cavity into the affected sinus. Once it has been confirmed that the wire is in the correct sinus, a balloon-dilating catheter is slid through to the sinus drainage area. This balloon is then quickly and briefly inflated in order to widen the sinus by moving it, and its mucous membrane, outwards. The complete result is a widened sinus tract without having to remove any tissue.
 
But how safe is it?
While this method was initially was met with criticism from the wider medical community, several clinical studies have vouched for it as a safe and effective tool in the battle against chronic sinusitis. In fact, both the American Rhinologic Society and the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery currently support these procedures and recommend them for patients. The Federal Food and Drug Administration has approved this procedure for use in tens of thousands of people in the last decade alone.
 
Balloon Sinuplasty is recommended to treat qualified candidates and is performed using only local anesthesia, which minimizes sensation to pain during the procedure. The best part about this procedure is that it is relatively quick and can be completed in an ENT office, meaning you do not have to stay overnight at a hospital. It has also been shown that use of these minimally invasive instruments results in less chances of postoperative pain with low maintenance treatment and a faster recovery.
 
Final Thoughts
In the last few years, more advances in balloon technology have taken place while improving the safety making it a popular recommendation to provide patients with a modern solution. If you are experiencing sinus issues and need personalized treatment to resolve this, speak with Lake Breeze ENT & Allergy today about any concerns. We’re here to help!