Table of contents:
- When to have sinusitis surgery?
- Various types of sinusitis surgery that doctors recommend
- 1. Endoscopy
- 2. Balloon sinuplasty
- 3. Open sinus surgery
- Some things you should know about sinusitis surgery
When colds, flu, or allergies get worse, sinusitis can develop. Symptoms of sinusitis are the same as those of flu or colds, namely runny nose, fever, accompanied by pain in the nose area and around the eyes. This condition can interfere with a person's activities. Fortunately, this disease can be treated with drugs and sinusitis surgery. However, when is it best to have surgery to treat sinusitis?
When to have sinusitis surgery?
Sinusitis can be caused by viruses or bacteria. This condition usually improves with medications, such as antibiotics or topical nasal steroids. These drugs can be found easily in pharmacies, but they are better if used as prescribed by an ENT doctor.
The doctor will give you medicine to restore your health. However, if within three months of treatment, sinusitis symptoms do not improve, sinusitis will be considered chronic. The doctor will recommend you to carry out further treatment and treatment at an otolaryngologist.
Before undergoing surgery, it is likely that the patient will have to follow routine drug therapy. If the medication can relieve sinusitis symptoms, surgery is not necessary. Sinusitis surgery is performed to relieve symptoms while reducing infection. In addition, this operation can also prevent sinusitis from recurring, helping you breathe better.
Apart from drug resistance, sinusitis surgery may be performed if the patient has the following conditions:
- Presence of polyps
- Abnormal nasal structure or septum (lining of the nose)
- Sinus infection has spread to the bones
- Sinus cancer
- Chronic sinusitis with HIV
- Sinusitis caused by fungi
Various types of sinusitis surgery that doctors recommend
If your doctor gives you a choice of surgery as a treatment and you agree with it, there are several types of sinusitis surgery that you need to know, such as:
1. Endoscopy
Endoscopy is the most common type of surgical procedure performed. The doctor will insert a very thin and flexible instrument called an endoscope into your nose.
The device is equipped with a small camera lens to help doctors find out where sinus inflammation is occurring. Then, the doctor will block or remove any polyps, scar tissue, or fungus that is irritating the sinuses.
2. Balloon sinuplasty
If the doctor doesn't need to remove anything from your sinuses, this surgery may be an option. The doctor will insert a thin tube into the nose, which ends with a small balloon. These balloons help clear the passageways so the sinuses can ventilate even better.
3. Open sinus surgery
This operation is performed for conditions that are quite severe and complicated, such as chronic sinusitis. The operation is performed by incising the skin covering the sinuses. After the incision, the sinus area will be exposed, and the problematic tissue will be removed. Then, the sinuses will be reconstructed.
Some things you should know about sinusitis surgery
According to studies of sinusitis surgery has an effectiveness to cure sinusitus by 85 to 90 percent. However, this surgical process can cause side effects, such as bleeding, infection, or blindness, although it is very rare.
You will need to perform postoperative re-treatment to recover and monitor the results of surgery. For chronic sinusitis patients, you may need a nasal spray.
After the surgery, your nose will be bandaged to prevent the wound from becoming infected and bleeding. You should sleep with your head elevated, open your mouth when you sneeze to reduce pressure on your nose, and follow follow-up treatment if necessary.
