Gateway Reporter

For patients who have experienced a chronic sinus condition called sinusitis, the symptoms can be uncomfortable and relief can be difficult to achieve without proper medical treatment.

Dr. John Ditto of Richmond Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers encourages patients who have chronic sinusitis symptoms to consider a procedure known as "balloon sinuplasty."

"Balloon sinuplasty... it came out in 2005. It is a fantastic new technique because what studies have shown is that it's as effective as traditional functional endoscopic sinus surgery. So I can perform a procedure for a patient and improve their recurrent sinusitis by using a minimally invasive technique... instead of taking them to the operating room under general anesthesia and performing a sinus bone and membrane destruction procedure where you're removing things. Here, I’m just opening things up, just allowing them to breathe," he told the Gateway Reporter. 

The doctor essentially inserts a balloon during the procedure and inflates it to help relieve pressure and buildup, alleviating symptoms, according to AlfPlus Medicals.

For Ditto, his past experience in nasal surgery gives him the expertise to effectively help sinus patients improve their lives. "I got really interested in rhinology, and I started doing more some sinus surgery, nasal procedures, mostly functional, non-cosmetic. And then in 2006, I was introduced to balloon sinuplasty," he told the Gateway Reporter. 

Thirty million people are diagnosed with sinusitis in the U.S. every year, according to Health eNews, and the condition is considered chronic when the symptoms persist for three months or longer, reports Mayo Clinic.

There are several different causes for sinusitis, and it is important to see a doctor if the condition persists.