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SINUSITIS | TREATMENT FOR CHRONIC SINUS INFECTIONS
Sinusitis (a sinus infection) occurs when the cavities around the nasal passage become swollen or inflamed. Acute and chronic sinus infections are a common condition treated at the Ear, Nose, & Throat Center in Stamford, CT. Read on to learn more about the causes of sinus infections, the symptoms of sinusitis, and available treatments like sinus surgery.
SINUS INFECTION SYMPTOMS
Common sinus infection symptoms include:
- Nasal inflammation
- Postnasal drainage
- Nasal congestion
- Tenderness around the eyes, nose, forehead, or cheeks
- Headache
- Reduced sense of taste or smell
- Ear pain
- Thick discharge from the nose
- Sore throat or cough
- Bad breath
- Nasal inflammation
- Postnasal drainage
- Nasal congestion
- Tenderness around the eyes, nose, forehead, or cheeks
- Headache
- Reduced sense of taste or smell
- Ear pain
- Thick discharge from the nose
- Sore throat or cough
- Bad breath
When the symptoms of a sinus infection last for less than 10 days, the infection is considered acute and often resolves on it’s own. When symptoms last 12 weeks or longer, despite medical intervention, it is considered chronic sinusitis.
WHAT CAUSES SINUSITIS?
- Nasal Polyps – growths of tissue that obstruct the sinuses or nasal passages
- A deviated or crooked septum (the wall between the nostrils)
- Respiratory tract infections, such as the common cold. Viral, bacterial, or fungal infections of the respiratory tract can inflame the sinus membranes, blocking mucus drainage.
- Allergies – inflammation caused by inhalant allergies, such as hay fever, can block the sinus
CHRONIC SINUSITIS TREATMENTS
- cultures from nasal drainage
- imaging with a CT scan or MRI to detect inflammation within the sinuses
- endoscopy (a small video camera used to investigate the nasal cavities)
- allergy testing.
SINUSITIS SURGERY
When chronic sinus infections resist less-invasive interventions or result from nasal obstructions, sinus surgery may be the best route for improving on-going symptoms.
After determining the cause of your obstruction, your ENT will recommend a specific sinus surgery, such as endoscopic nasal surgery or a balloon sinuplasty. For more detailed information on surgical options, check out our sinus surgery page and keep reading below.
Endoscopic Nasal Surgery
Endoscopic nasal surgeries physically remove or reduce nasal obstructions. The surgery is performed under general or local anesthesia.
During the procedure, your ENT inserts an endoscope into your nose through your nostrils. An endoscope consists of a thin, flexible tube equipped with a small camera. The camera provides a non-invasive way to view your sinus passages. Next, your ENT surgically removes the nasal obstruction.
Common obstructions include nasal polyps, excess tissue, bone growths, or scar tissue. Your ENT may also straighten the septum (septoplasty) and/or reduce the turbinates’ size. Turbinates are nasal structures made of bone and soft tissue known as mucosa. They are located along the sides of the nasal cavities and regulate airflow and humidity.
With endoscopic nasal surgery, there is no cutting through the skin to access the nasal cavities. Patients may go home the same day of surgery.
Balloon Sinuplasty
During a balloon sinuplasty, your ENT inserts an endoscope equipped with a balloon into the nasal cavity via the nostrils. Once locating the blockage, your ENT slowly inflates the balloon to widen the passage(s) to the sinus(es). With the balloon fully inflated, your ENT easily flushes out the debris causing the nasal congestion using a saline solution.
Similar to endoscopic nasal surgery, there is no cutting of skin with a balloon sinuplasty. Patients may go home the same day of surgery.
Below is a brief animation of placement of a Propel stent, which is a steroid eluting stent that may be placed during your sinus surgery or procedure.
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SOURCES:
Wen, X., Zhao, Y., Wang, H., Cheng, J., Wang, Z., & Yang, J.(2015). Journal of clinical otorhinolaryngology, head, and neck surgery, 29(16), 1463–1466. LINK.
Raghunandhan, S., Bansal, T., Natarajan, K., & Kameswaran, M. (2013). Efficacy & outcomes of balloon sinuplasty in chronic rhinosinusitis: a prospective study. Indian journal of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery : official publication of the Association of Otolaryngologists of India, 65(Suppl 2), 314–319. LINK