Fixing recurring sinus issues

Q: I have had traditional sinus surgery in the past, but I am once again having sinus symptoms. Is balloon sinuplasty forme?

A: Traditional sinus surgery uses special instruments to remove tissue in an effort to open sinus drainage pathways and resolve chronic sinusitis. The surgery is very effective at opening the maxillary and ethmoid sinuses. Many physicians do not treat the sphenoid sinus during initial sinus surgeries, and frontal sinuses are difficult to effectively treat with traditional sinus surgery methods.

The most common persistent symptom after traditional sinus surgery is headaches. Frontal headaches and retro-orbital headaches are typically related to untreated or poorly treated frontal and sphenoid sinuses during traditional sinus surgery. Advances in sinus treatment have led to significant improvements in treating these sinuses. Balloon sinuplasty is very effective at treating persistent narrowing in the sphenoid sinus and frontal sinuses. This will significantly decrease infections and pressure headaches in these sinuses. Even better, the revision balloon procedure is a simple clinic procedure with no packing. Recovery is easy, with most patients returning to work the next day. Success rates are over 90%.

Chronic sinusitis has a known 10% recurrence rate after traditional sinus surgery. Many of these patients will be good candidates for simple balloon sinuplasty revision. Evaluation by an otolaryngologist familiar with balloon technology is the first step to resolving your recurrent symptoms..