Sinus Surgery Procedure

Sinus infection is one of the common medical conditions experienced by people across the world. While acute sinusitis may be effectively treated with medication like, antibiotics, antihistamines, nasal steroid sprays and decongestants, some people experience chronic sinusitis with recurrent episodes of infections and each time, it may last for more than three months. In such case of repeated sinus infections with no response to medication, doctors may advice the patient to undergo sinus surgery procedure. Surgery is only considered when patients do not show any improvements with medication.

Sinus surgery aims at opening up the sinus nasal passage, thereby improving the airflow and also to facilitate drainage of the sinuses. Removing nasal polyps, obstructive mucosal disease and straightening of crooked nasal septum are also done through these procedures. This article deals with the different types of surgical procedures that are performed for treating chronic sinus infections.

Sinus Surgery Options

As mentioned above, surgery is the last option as far as chronic sinus infection treatment is concerned. Earlier, this surgery was viewed with much fear, as it involved access to sinus cavities through incisions on the face. This resulted in scarring and disfigurement. However, nowadays, there are various advanced technologies that do not cause such problems.

Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS)
This is one of the advanced surgical methods, that uses an endoscope (a thin fiber optic tube) for accessing the sinuses and rectifying the problems. The patient is administered with general or monitored anesthesia and the endoscope is inserted into the nostril, so as to examine the sinus openings. The endoscope has various attachments, like, a light source, a micro telescope and many other instruments. During the surgery, abnormal and obstructive tissues are removed. The surgeon can enlarge sinus openings and facilitate drainage. FESS is usually done as a day surgery and the patient may be discharged on the same day itself. Post operative complications are also minimal and the patient may experience only mild swelling and discomfort, after the procedure. In some cases, the person may have to continue with medications that will be prescribed on the basis of findings done through the surgery.

Balloon Sinuplasty
Balloon sinuplasty is another type of surgery performed as a part of sinus infection treatment and was introduced recently. As in case of balloon angioplasty, wherein balloons are used inside clogged arteries of the heart to facilitate blood flow, balloon sinuplasty aims at opening up the orifices of the sinus cavities. In this sinus surgery procedure, a small guide wire is used to fix a tiny inflatable balloon into the opening of the sinus cavity. As the balloon is inflated, the sinus opening too get widened, enabling proper sinus drainage.

Image Guided Endoscopic Sinus Surgery
In this surgery, the surgeon uses images of the sinus cavities that are obtained through CT scan of the patient, before the surgery. The surgeon can make use of these post operative images during the surgery to compare it with the images obtained during the surgery. This is an advanced version of FESS and is said to be of great help to the surgeons, especially, in patients with structural abnormalities of the nasal passages or sinuses.

Caldwell-Luc Operation
If medication and endoscopic procedures fail to improve the condition of the patient, the doctor may recommend Caldwell-Luc operation. Unlike other methods, this sinus surgery procedure is performed on the maxillary sinus that is located within the cheekbone, beneath the eye. This procedure improves the drainage of this sinus. In this procedure, the sinus is accessed through the upper jaw and an opening is made from the maxillary sinus to the nose. This opening helps in drainage of sinuses, thereby preventing sinus infections. This surgery is also used in case of malignancy inside the sinus cavity.

After care is also very much important, and you must strictly follow the instructions of the doctor. After ten days of surgery, the doctor will wash out the sinuses, so as to prevent crusting on the inner surfaces. The patient may also be advised to go for nasal irrigation at home. For this purpose, saline solution is used. After surgery, the patient has to take rest and avoid strenuous physical activities. Any sort of pressure on the inner surfaces of the nose can be harmful, so, he/she must avoid bending of head or blowing nose, excessive talking, hard chewing, or any such activities. The patient may be asked to take medication like antibiotics to prevent infection of the surgical site and steroids to fasten the healing process. Sinus surgery recovery depends on the type of surgery, the complications involved and the health condition of the patient.