|
 |
Show all news articles
Sinus Balloon Therapy Offers New Relief Option
July 24, 2006
|
Sinus Sufferers Can Breathe Easier Without Invasive Surgery
(Washington, DC)- Sinus suffers now have the option of new balloon therapy that opens clogged sinuses by inflating a balloon with no scarring, no incision no bleeding and a faster recovery time than traditional invasive sinus surgery. The procedure is called balloon sinuplasty and is now being offered at Georgetown University Hospital as another option for some of the nation’s 30-plus million people with sinus problems.
| Video |  | AP Video - New procedure offers sinus patients another option for relief. |
“I think this is a brilliant procedure for the frontal sinus (sinuses behind the forehead) where many people end up with scarring and other complications from traditional sinus surgery,” said Suzette Mikula, MD, otolaryngologist and ENT surgeon at Georgetown University Hospital. “The balloon procedure has a much lower potential for scar formation because unlike traditional sinus surgery, we don’t need to cut away tissue in order to open the sinus. The fact that I have something other than invasive sinus surgery to offer my patients is huge and is a great advantage for my patients.”
The procedure is performed in an operating room with the patient under general anesthesia. Using a tiny wire and a catheter, the surgeon inserts a balloon about one half to one inch long (uninflated) into the sinus. Once the uninflated balloon is confirmed to be in the correct location by fluoroscopy, the surgeon inflates the balloon so it “pops” open for a few seconds, expanding by 3-5 millimeters. The balloon is then removed and the patient can go home that day.
“The goal of sinus surgery is to promote ventilation and draining, two critical factors in preventing sinus infections and allowing existing infections to clear faster,“ said Dr. Sonya Malekzadeh, also an ENT surgeon at Georgetown who has performed balloon sinuplasty. “Until now a sinus suffer had just two options, medicines like antibiotics and topical steroids or invasive surgery. Now they have this. Another benefit is that balloon sinuplasty doesn’t limit future treatment options if a patient decides to have more invasive surgery later on.”
Balloon therapy can also be used in the sphenoid sinuses, which are farther back in the skull and are close to critical structures like the brain, carotid artery and optic nerve. “The fact that there is now a non-invasive way to access the sinuses in this area means less risk for the patient, which is great news,” said Dr. Mikula.
The balloon therapy is not for everyone with sinus problems though. Dr. Mikula said that anyone with polyps should have the polyps removed before having this procedure. This is also not indicated for people with infections in the ethmoid sinuses. The maxillary sinuses are probably the most challenging sinuses to be accessed with this device and therefore might not be worth the time and effort when traditional methods are usually effective.
“As with any new procedure I think more research needs to be done to see how long the benefits of the procedure last,” Dr. Mikula said. “There are no guarantees with traditional invasive sinus surgery either. But in the meantime I have another option besides invasive sinus surgery to offer my patients and they are breathing easier about that.”
Symptoms of sinusitis include: facial pain, sinus pressure or fullness, nasal obstruction or blockage, discolored nasal discharge, discolored post-nasal discharge, loss of smell, headache and fatigue.
Media contact:
Marianne Worley
202-444-4659
Patient Contact
202-342-2400
|
Back
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Your Health
|
| |
|
|
 |
|
|
Get quarterly Georgetown health news & information in your inbox |
|
|
|
|
|
