Considering Sinus Surgery?

Not being able to breathe properly is frustrating, at best.

People who live with chronic sinus issues encounter this on a regular basis. Research shows that in previous years, 28.9 million adults in the US, or 11.6% of the U.S. adult population, were diagnosed with chronic sinusitis.

While some short-term conditions often resolve on their own - or with medicinal therapies - others require surgical intervention to provide relief.

Thankfully, with current technology and knowledge, sinus-related surgeries can have effective results and a quick recovery. Chad Glazer, MD, dual board-certified in facial plastic and ENT surgery at Franciscan Health, explains what you should know about sinus surgery.

When Does Sinus Surgery Become Inevitable For Patients?

Patients may attempt other therapies or treatments before visiting an ENT doctor to discuss sinus surgery.

Many patients experience either a nasal obstruction, where they generally cannot breathe through their nose effectively, or sinusitis, otherwise known as a sinus infection, Dr. Glazer said.

"Patients usually visit my office and tell me their sinuses are bothering them," Dr. Glazer said. "So, it's my job to try to differentiate their condition between a nasal obstruction or sinusitis and sometimes people have both."

Acute sinusitis is usually recognized as trouble breathing through the nose, issues with drainage, facial pain and pressure. In some cases, sinus conditions such as this can be solved with antibiotics, nasal steroid sprays or oral antihistamines. Still, if the patient is still suffering after all options have been exhausted, it may be time to consider sinus surgery.

"It is a real quality-of-life issue," Dr. Glazer said. "People have difficulty with work, exercise and sleep. Those with sleep apnea trying to use a CPAP machine who can't breathe well through their nose have difficulty. So, there are a lot of different reasons why people come to my office with these problems."

Nasal obstructions can also cause discomfort throughout a person's daily activities. This condition can quickly block the nasal passage formed by something as common as allergies or as rare as nasal tumors. After medical management and treatment for any nasal obstructions, the next step would be to perform various tests, such as an endoscopic exam to assess the nasal valve area and a CT scan if the patient is recommended for sinus surgery.

How Does Seeing The Sinus Anatomy Help Surgery?

Dr. Glazer explained that he would always get a CT scan of the sinuses in the process of preparing for a procedure.

"These CT scans are prepared since I'll usually use an image guidance platform that tracks my instruments live during the surgery," Dr. Glazer said. "These tools in combination allow us to help us with our knowledge and understanding of the anatomy of the sinuses which in turn allows us to do these procedures safely. During sinus surgery, based on symptoms as well as the CT scan, we decide on which of those sinuses to get open during the surgery to alleviate the patient's problems.”.

What Results Can I Expect From Sinus Surgery?

Different surgery types include sinus surgery, functional nasal surgery and septoplasty. With each, patients are able to return home the same day and recovery lasts approximately a week. It's a much more pleasant recovery as well.

"You might hear horror stories from the past of people pulling strips of gauze out of the nose because that's how they used to pack the nose after surgery," Dr. Glazer said "Thankfully my patients do not have to deal with that anymore. I use flexible stents that come out within a week, but you're breathing through them the whole time. A lot of people are relieved when I tell them that I don't pack the nose and so they are breathing out of their nose from day one after the surgery."

Many patients are relieved to undergo their recommended surgery. Sinus surgery can help your quality of life. With a successful sinus surgery, patients will miss less work and school, sleep better, perform better in their athletic activities and enjoy life.

"Getting these people back to feeling better is our mission," Dr. Glazer said. "As long as you select the patients who are appropriate for surgery, nearly all of them end up doing very well and are so glad they had the surgery."

"The patients end up feeling better than they have in their entire life," Dr. Glazer said. "When we take those stents out at the one-week mark, most people say that their sinuses have never felt clearer."

What Should I Avoid After A Sinus Surgery?

While the recovery process is much more tolerable with stents instead of gauze, it's still crucial to avoid doing things that can cause additional bleeding or slow the healing process. These include:

• Blowing your nose within 10 days after surgery.
• Lifting objects weight 20 pounds or more.
• Taking aspirin or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications.
• Using steroid nasal sprays within 2 weeks after surgery.

Talk to your surgeon or ENT doctor about other specific actions to avoid after sinus surgery.